How do you wipe?

[Michael Stafford]

I apply my wipe on finishes with a brush. I allow them to soak in and make sure to reapply more finish to areas that seem to soak it up. I wait for it to develop a little tack and then I wipe off the excess with a paper towel. That is followed by another wipe with cheese cloth and lastly if necessary I wipe with a white non-abrasive pad vigorously scrubbing the surface. When I wipe I wipe thoroughly....

Then I look for any bleedback and wipe some more if necessary. After an hour or so, I apply another coat and go through the whole process again until I get the level of finish I like.

The last step after I am through with all my finish applications is to rub the surface down with some 7/0 steel wool to remove any nibs in the finish. Then it on to the Beall, first buffing with just the coarse wheel before applying any compounds or waxes.

[Corey Hallagan]

Hi Mike, thanks for the info. Your instructions, does that mean poly as well. Seems like wiping with a paper towell would be disasterous with a poly finish. Just curious. BTW, when you going to post some more great looking boxes!

Corey

[Todd Burch]

OK, I have to chime in here.

First, on topic. I dip and wipe. There are pros and cons. If you dip and have any debris on your rag, it is likely to get into your can, unless you re-can your finish like Norm does. If you use a cheap a rag, it might start to disintegrate while you are using it. If you haven't sanded properly, or catch a snag on the edge grain, you might pull off a splinter of wood. Ragging on lets you go over the entire piece and if you have left any flaws, you will certainly find them. At that point, you decide if you want to fix it (them) or not.

If you pour, you have the opportunity to create a line on your wood where the finish puddles to an edge (like the edge of a water droplet). It should some out, but you may have to work it some. One reason I don't pour is I don't like to re-can, and most finishes in a quart can don't pour well with their paint-can style lids. It's just another mess I don't want to spend time managing.

I like foam brushes and use them a lot. I don't overbrush and I do tip off the last swipe. If the brush starts to get fuzzy right at the tip, I toss it and grab another. A typical problem with varnish and foam brushes is that you might try and drag out too thin a coat. You'll have holidays and fight it too much.

Now, off topic. Referencing the implied topic and corncobs. My dad (born 1940) and aunt were over here at the house not too long ago and were reminiscing. They were two of 11 kids and they did not have indoor plumbing, but an outhouse, and lived on a farm. Corncobs were a well stocked item in the outhouse. They said that you first used a red corncob, and then a white corncob to see if you needed another red corncob. And, it was a good day when the new Sears catalog would arrive, as the old could be put to use outside.

They said it was also a big deal when they got a package with the thin white paper, such as the kind that comes wadded in a new pair of shoes or inside a new shirt. My dad's little brother one time, Christmas morning, got some new clothes that had this paper in it and after he opened it, he took the paper and said "Here mommy, this is for you."

Todd

[Joe Unni]

Thanks to all!!

As I suspected I got all different types of responses from the kind folks here at SMC. Some lol funny and some very informative.

One question about the wadded up t-shirt method. How well does it work on "other than flat" surfaces? Tops I can see, but what about inside corners? I suspect this now comes down to the finish before or after assmbly thread, huh?

Side bar...

This forum is truly a place to go for fun and information. It's a way to tap into others' real world experiences (versus just books) and have fun doing it. As readers, we can pick out what is important to us and allow other do do the same. Like an online neighborhood.

For this, I say thanks,
-joe