Rubbing Out - Polishing Up

[MacS]

This finishing article appeared in the woodworking magazine "WOODWORK."

I think, its worth saving and adding to your "finishing notebook," it shows you how you can take a mediocre finish and make it look like a professional finish.

Good Luck

Mac

Come visit my web site.

www.macsimmons.com

[lucky788scroller]

my finishing notebook is getting as big as yours mac! Great info . dale

[PeteB]

THIS is the information the finish manufacturers leave off the can. In fact, my school wood shop classes didn't touch on it either. I learned to rub out finishes in connection with refinishing a guitar years ago, though the concepts are familiar to anyone who fools with automotive bodywork.

It's very easy to get a nice semi-gloss finish, btw: What works for me is to just bear down on the final coat with some 0000 steel wool and oil, or wax thinned with mineral spirits. For a fine gloss finish, there are no shortcuts.

IMO, purchased semi-gloss finishes with flattening agents are for the birds because it is difficult to get an even gloss and the flatteners are cloudy. Better to just buy gloss finishes and dull them by hand.

Pete

[MacS]

Pete,

Your right, you always start with a gloss lacquer, your last two coats are your "dulling" coats unless you want to hand rub the work, then you would end off using the gloss, letting it dry out, and then rubbing it out.

There are several ways of adjusting sheen, my concept is to teach a technique that I know works when it is done right, once the finisher knows the process and can do it right, then they are on their own to try other methods that will work for them.

Pete, I have been finishing for over fifty years, I have sold finishing materials for the same manufacturer to 1000 of finishing shops for over 30 years.

I am sure you are aware that one finishing article cannot tell the entire story of "rubbing out and polishing up," nor can it tell all about any other finishing technique. I do the best I can with the amount of space I am assigned. I think, this was a good article and it told an interesting story and that many scrollers should know how to adjust their coatings sheen.


www.macsimmons.com

[PeteB]

Originally Posted by Mac

Pete, I have been finishing for over fifty years, I have sold finishing materials for the same manufacturer to 1000 of finishing shops for over 30 years.

I am sure you are aware that one finishing article cannot tell the entire story of "rubbing out and polishing up," nor can it tell all about any other finishing technique. I do the best I can with the amount of space I am assigned. I think, this was a good article and it told an interesting story and that many scrollers should know how to adjust their coatings sheen.

Mac, I didn't mean to argue with you or with the article, but was illustrating that hand-rubbing needn't be scary though I agreed that a professional gloss finish calls for meticulousness.

It is a very good article, and I'm glad you posted it, and I know that your knowledge and experience run much deeper.

Me discussing wood finishing with you is like a housewife telling Wolfgang Puck about a beef burgundy made with canned soup.

Pete

[MacS]

Pete,

I did not take it that way, I was trying to get the readers to understand that when reading an article on finishing, or any other subject the writer can only tell so much about the subject because the space or words that they are allotted by the magazine or even books, the writer can only tell so much, so readers should not expect to read every point that could be included about the subject, even books do not tell the complete story.

Pete, it was not intended personally.

Mac

[PeteB]

Originally Posted by Mac

Pete, it was not intended personally.

I believe we had what could be called a "wavelength dissonance", Mac, but no disagreement.

This is a good subject, and wish I had time to take on our dining room table as a test mule.

Pete

[MacS]

Pete,

Try it first, on a set of night table tops or on two end table tops.

Once you do it right, that will boost your confidence, and then you will be ready to go on to the larger table.