I just finished up a table top with several coats of Waterlox, but it's still a little rough - probably from all the dust in the air. What can I use to rub down the top to get it smooth and maybe get it a little more satiny and a little less shiny? Thanks.
JP
Finishing wax embedded into 0000 Steel Wool. Basically use the wool to apply the wax to the wood.
In applications where you might not want to use steel wool, the finer (white/grey) 3M abrasive pads also work quite well to apply the paste wax, smooth out the finish, and reduce the sheen. Several articles on the web discuss the overall technique. Some samples,
Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA
I've used 600 or 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Try it on a test piece first.
Leon is spot-on
That is preciscely what I have done amy times to finish off waterlox original on Cherry.
Denib and reduce sheen in one step. Your piece will feel wonderfully touchable when you're done.
-Steve
That's exactly what I do. Best to wait a few weeks to allow the finish to harden more. I use Johnsons Wax in the yellow can.
Your choice depends on the size and number of nits you need to rub out, and the final appearance you are looking for.
I find that wet/dry sandpaper with a lubricant of mineral spirits (oil based finishes), or water with a drop of detergent (water based finishes) cuts faster than steel wool plus wax. Also you can adjust the aggressiveness and shininess by varying the grit from 600-2000. You'll need to get the higher grits from an auto parts store.
On Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:55:20 -0400, the infamous Phisherman scrawled the following:
Amen, bruddahs! Waterlox rocks.
You know, in the drumming newsgroup that -MIKE- and I follow, there is a long standing joke about where to find a low-cost source of "Moongel", a gooey substance that makes an excellent head-dampening material, but carries such ridiculously high price that nobody wants to pay for it. I've wanted to try Waterlox for years, but every time I go to procure some I find myself refusing to pay the outrageous price they ask for the stuff So...
Does anybody know of a low-cost source for Waterlox?
Why? Why did I click on this post when I wasn't even following the thread?
:-)
Despite the "rub on, wipe almost dry" repeated application of my favorite: Homer Formby's modified tung oil," there were times when I'd get some rough areas. Usually it was grain that had kicked up or dust that settled into a particular area where I might not have wiped it down as well as I could.
In either case, I preferred to first flatten the area with 1000 grit wet/dry paper and water, using a wood block backing for rigidity. The stuff cuts a finish fast, so it takes a light hand. However, the resulting dull area can be recoated with the Homer Formby's to get a bit more gloss, then the entire piece rubbed out with the 0000 steel wool and Johnson's paste wax.
The steel wool conforms to the finish's topography and doesn't flatten it out as easily or as well as the light sanding. OTOH, the conforming nature of the steel wool lends itself to a more uniform overall finish after things are flattened some, since it'll reach down into the lower areas where the sanding block only hits the high points.
Because you smelled a rat? :-)
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