Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Wetsanding screwup
Bri in Mtl
>I screwed up the finish somewhat of my little stool below.
On the 4th coat of my antique oil/poly mix I saw a few scratches.
So I applied some more of the mix and proceeding to try and wetsand the scratches out with 220 sandpaper.
All that did was make the finish extremely dull.
What happened and how do I fix it?
Did I sand right through the finish and the oil is simply soaking it up?
Certainly lost the nice sheen I had before. Sigh...TIA
Re: Wetsanding screwup
Brian in Sandusky, OH
>If you are wetsanding, my preference go higher in grits than just 220.
When I do that finishing method, I do 220 prior to finishing. Then wetsand with 320 silicon carbide. Wait a day, then 400. Wait a day, and then 600. Then if I want even more shine, wax and buff.
You can go higher than that in grits if you want, but I think it's overkill.
But definitely, if you want a shine, you can't stop at 220.
Also...great stool...I like the contoured seat.
Re: Wetsanding screwup
Howard Acheson
>I'm not sure I understand what finish you are using. Antique Oil is an oil/varnish mixture. Where does the poly come in? Are you mixing poly into the Antique Oil? For a stool, that type of mixture is going to leave a very soft, easily damaged finish.
If you sand with 220 paper, it's going to dull the finish. The only way to recover the gloss is to apply a coat of whatever finish you are using in the normal manner.
Re: Wetsanding screwup
Bri in Mtl
>I just increase the "varnish" ratio by adding more poly. Get additional protection and sheen faster.
Re: Wetsanding screwup
Bruce, a MN Galoot
>I was thinking about this WRT the last project I did. I used Minwax Antique Oil by itself and wet sanded to get the nibs off. That alone works pretty well, if the surface is pretty flat to begin with. But it takes any sheen with it and leaves a flat matte finish.
If you want sheen, you need to buff it, basically just polish it with an old t-shirt or, best of all, a cotton diaper. Buffing will give you the sheen you're looking for.
Bruce