eliminating dust nips

[truck90278]

We are in the process of finishing my son's entertainment center and are having some dust nibs show up.  The final clear coat is General Finishes 450 exterior poly (using it because we have it) semi gloss. To eliminate the dust nibs, without losing the gloss, using viles, would that be a recommended approach? Or what would approach would you recommend?

meant to add (thought i did) we have the RO 125

thanks in advance
Ralph

 

[tjbnwi]

Which sander do you have?

Tom

 

[tiralie]

To eliminate the dust nibs, without losing the gloss, using viles, would that be a recommended approach? Or what would approach would you recommend?

Hey Ralph:
I like to use Platin either by hand or on a Rotex. I start with the 4000 wet, and work down the grits till I find one that gets the nibs off without changing the sheen much. Then I work back up and polish if I have too. I find the viles creates too much of a scratch pattern creating too much work to correct. It works better for prep between coats. It's always easier to do this 4-5 days after application to give the polyurethane time to cure.
Tim

 

[live4ever]

You can [very lightly] use a card scraper to knock off the nibs if you don't have polishing grit pads (e.g. platin or other).  We're talking a firm but feather light touch so you're not actually scraping like you would on bare wood.  With a gentle touch, this should not affect semi-gloss sheen.  Now if you're going for mirror polish, then it probably would not produce a flawless result.

 

[Brent Taylor]

I also used the card scraper or a razor blade if you don't have a card scraper or it's really small,  then buff it back out.

 

[rst]

If you use a razor blade, round the ends to prevent digging in as you scrape.

 

[jacko9]

If you get fed up with trying to eliminate the dust nips you might want to switch to General Finishes Arm-R-Seal, Semi Gloss and dilute it with 20% mineral spirits.  It will set up really fast so applying it is one swipe only and keep moving from wet to dry.  By the time you get a few swipes the first will not be wet.  I have used this method in my not too clean shop several times and the result is a very fine finish.

 

[flair woodworks]

I have ragged on General waterbased finishes very thinly - so thin that it's dry to the touch in seconds.  You can build the finish with whatever application method you like, then finish this way.

I did not dilute the finish when I did this.