Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
rubbing out
Tony Z.
>Question on preferences when rubbing out a finish. I normally only use shellac, and rub out after several weeks or so. Until recently, I mostly used SC paper then steel wool, with some sort of lubricant, such as mineral spirits. I've recently migrated to pumice and rottenstone after 2-0 steel wool. I've tried mineral spirits and mineral oil, and although finding them effective, I've also found they can be quite messy. Any experiences with other lubes or with what I'm using?
Re: rubbing out
Jim DeLaney, Tustin, CA
>Try naphtha. Be aware of its flammability, though. Best used outdoors, or at least in a well vented space...
Re: rubbing out
Alan Hamilton
>Tony,
When rubbing out with 0000 steel wool I always use wool lube. It's much more viscous than anything else suitable for the job. It's soluble in water, so you can thin it down for the first rub-out, and then use it full strength to get a glossier surface. It too can be a little messy, but it cleans up with water.
When I rub out with pumice and rottenstone I use either paraffin oil or a furniture polishing oil such as orange oil or lemon oil. I'm not sure why, but paraffin oil just seems to work better. The furniture oils are a bit thicker, but I don't like the surface they leave nearly so much.
Any on-line or catalog or storefront outfit that carries high-end finishing supplies should have both wool lube and paraffin oil. IIRC Rockler carries them, and of course Homestead, Garrett-Wade, and most others of that ilk have them too.
Alan
Re: rubbing out
Tony Z.
>Jim and Al: thanks for the suggestions! I'm going to try both--naybe I'll find my magic formula in them!