Steel wool, and other questions.

[Tony2666]

Hi there, I'm new to the forum, and i am just getting into wood working, its a great hobby. I've been working on a chest and i am now ready for the Finishing process. Now I really want my piece to have that perfect quality professional shine. I've been doing some research and i keep coming across this steel wool and Briwax step that seems pretty cool but I still dont quite understand what they are trying to tell me. The chest is made of Pine so i do have to keep that in mind. what do you do with the steel wool and briwax, and should i use a water based conditioner or a oil based one? And what is the best process to get this finish be be absolutly fantastic?

[Dagster]

Here is what I do.

Finish 1:
Apply tung oil or boiled Linseed oil cut 50/50 with naptha. Wipe it on with 0000 steel wool rubbing lightly. Wait a few minutes until it is fairly dry and then use a blue shop towel to wipe off any remaining puddles. Repeat until desired finish is reached. This will leave a nice silky smooth satin finish.

Finish 2:
Cut poly 60/40 with naptha. Wipe it on with 0000 steel wool as evenly as you can. Wait until completely dry and repeat until desired finish is reached. This can take 4 coats or 10 depending on where you want to stop. The final coat can be then rubbed out with 0000 steel wool and wax to get a nice velvety satin sheen. If you want it shiny just leave the last coat assuming it is dust free.

Many other ways but those are pretty fool proof and I like em!

Darren

[bogydave]

Here is what I do.

Finish 1:
Apply tung oil or boiled Linseed oil cut 50/50 with naptha. Wipe it on with 0000 steel wool rubbing lightly. Wait a few minutes until it is fairly dry and then use a blue shop towel to wipe off any remaining puddles. Repeat until desired finish is reached. This will leave a nice silky smooth satin finish.
Darren


How long to wait between coats? or do you hit it again right after you wipe it off?
Dave

[Don]

Hey, Tony. Welcome to the forum. There are a lot of ways to get a great finish. You simply need to pick out one or two that sound promising and give them a try. I like the "wiping" methods of applying a finish (similar to Darren's recipes above) because it gives you a hands on feel for what's happening, plus it's almost error proof. If you are simply brushing a finish on out of a can you don't have as much control with the end product.

My suggestion is to practice on your scrap. Pine is such a softwood that you never really know what you are going to get until you see it. I do like the Briwax, I've used it on several projects. I would imagine that applying it with fine steel wool simply aids in the polishing of the wood and finish as you go, much more than a rag would anyway.

As far as a conditioner goes, oil based products are less likely to raise the grain than water based, another important consideration with a soft wood like pine.

Hopefully some others will post their recipes, or you can look around in the finishing forum for some.

Good luck and let us know how you do, give us some pictures.

dawjr

[Dagster]

How long to wait between coats? or do you hit it again right after you wipe it off?
Dave

Watch it dry, check on it every 5 to 10 minutes depending on the temp and weather. When you notice that it is mostly dry with a few wet looking puddles it is time to wipe those puddles in with the blue towel to prevent them from "gumming" up your work. Sometimes you won't see puddles which is great, but most of the time you'll have small ones here and there. Basically you are preventing uneven spots. After you have wiped off the remaining puddles wait a few more minutes until they appear to be pretty dry. At that point you can proceed with the next coat. Basically you want the finish to set a bit so you are building layers, very thin layers but layers nonetheless.