What to do with the last coat?

[Keith E Byrd]

Folks, for some of you I hope this is a basic question cause that means you can give me some good advise but for me this isa frustration. Current situation:
1. I am finishing a European Beech table - top is 65x33.
2. I stained the top with General's Java gel stain.
3. I finished it with General's oil and polyurethane satin.
4. No matter how hard I try I cannot get rid of scattered dust particles hitting the top.
5. General says to rub out with 4/0 steel wool or sand with 320 between coats - I have used 320 between coats.
6. I have been under the impression that you should rub out the last coat with 4/0 and wax, but General says not to rub out the last coat.

Question - how do you get rid of the little bumps caused by the dust? And is it general practice to rub out the last coat?

Help! I have a table to deliver by Wednesday for my son's wedding and I gotta get this last coat done today!

[Scott Holmes]

Use a brown paper bag from the food store. Ball it up then get it wet with mineral spirits. Use the wet brown paper bag to buff the surface. There is just enough clay n the bag to konck down the dust nibs but not enough to scratch the finish.

[Keith E Byrd]

Thanks Scott - Hate to be a pest but - how much mineral spirits? Just to dampen bag or really soak it? Will the mineral spirits hurt the surface at all?

[Scott Dodd]

Just a question. If the clay in a paper bag is what you're after, will a clay bar used in auto detailing work?

Thx,

Scott

[Craig Hemsath]

Just a question. If the clay in a paper bag is what you're after, will a clay bar used in auto detailing work?

Thx,

Scott

I certainly don't think so. They're two totally different kinds of clay.

[Keith E Byrd]

A follow on question - after rubbing with the brown paper bag do you wax the table or just let it go with the paper bag rub out?

[Keith E Byrd]

Disappointed. I put a serious question out here and one person responded with some info/advice - thank you Scott Holmes! But out of 127 views?!

[Craig Hemsath]

I'm usually pretty happy with just the bag rundown. I've also found that trick seems to work better if the varnish has had proper time to fully cure- do it after a couple weeks, not a day or two.

[Keith E Byrd]

I sanded with 320 between coats and tried the paper bag and mineral spirits and was very impressed with the smoothness of the finish - great tip on the paper bag!
I then buffed it out with paste finish wax and am not happy. You can still see lots of sanding marks in the final view.

[Justin Bukoski]

Keith, pick up a copy of the current issue of Fine Woodworking. Great article that addresses this problem. Basically how to get a dust free finish by wiping on a gel coat and then buffing it out as you go.

[Prashun Patel]

Keith-
First, I'm not sure poly is a good choice for a benchtop. It's gonna get nicked and dinged and won't repair so easily. However...

I am unclear whether the scratches yr seeing are scratches from the rubbing out or scratches in the wood. If it's just scratches in the finish, know that hard to rub out poly properly. Its resistance to abrasion causes it to not want to rub out so uniformly.

If I were you, I'd remove the wax with mineral spirits and then wet sand with 320. Get it nice and smooth.

Then, wipe on your next coat after thinning it 50% with mineral spirits. This will create a thin top coat that will dry very quickly, leaving very little time for dust to accumulate. Sometimes a wiped finish comes out smooth enough that it doesn't require any rubbing out.

Last, if you can bring yrself to live with the scratches, I submit that in a little while, you won't notice them. The more u use the bench, the more those scratches will become uniform - or at least less noticeable than the big gouges yr chisels and saws put into it

[Joe Chritz]

http://www.homesteadfinishingproduct...rubbingout.htm

All you need to know about rubbing out a finish.

As mentioned the choice of final finish isn't what you want to achieve a full gloss rubbed out finish. The properties of the finish are specifically designed to make it abrasion resistant.

Joe

[Keith E Byrd]

Justin,
I did read that article - and I bought some gel - unless I was doing something wrong it seemed as though I didn't even put on a coat. It was apparently so thin I felt like I couldn't really sand or rub because I would go into the prior coat or even on the edges through the stain.
I had a tough time with the finish on this table! Unfortunately I delivered it to my son already!

[Keith E Byrd]

Thanks for the tips - unfortunately I had to deliver the table before I got your comments/tips. My difficulty is apparently in the sanding/rubbing. I was fearful to continue sanding because the piece was stained. How did you sand without sanding through the edges, corners etc?

[Prashun Patel]

Not sanding over the edges is difficult. Power sanding almost always yields 'dippy' results for me around the edges. It took me a good few projects to realize that this stage requires a lot of patience and a good sanding block, and a willingness to change paper often. The rub out is no place for a frugalmeister like myself.