How do you feel you rank at applying wood finishes?

peter halle

peter halle

Festool Moderator
Festool Moderator
Joined
Jul 8, 2007
Messages
13,150
Location
Central Virginia
In my growing pains of building aquarium stands I have found that the finishing is the worst part for me.  I have tripped, stumbled, and lost my butt on that aspect.  Honestly it has become another expensive hobby.  So my curiosity has gotten the better of me and I was wondering how you guys and gals feel your abilities are in the application of various finishes and why.

Advanced : Applying finishes of various types does not cause sweat and things work out the way you want almost all the time.  Comfortable with different finish types and different application methods.

Average : Sweat and procrastination.  Finishes usually work out.  Am reluctant to try different finishes or application methods outside your comfort zone.

Like Me:  Tons of sweat.  Heart palpitations (not good).  No matter what you do the dumbest things come back to haunt you.  But willing to keep learning.

This is meant to be fun, and in all honesty also a  way for me to develop an alternate avenue for asking advice.  Sometimes even I have a problem openly asking here for help  [eek].

Peter

 
I think the difference between advanced and average is that the advanced types make it a practice to try out new finishes or new woods on scrap pieces before starting on the money piece.

The scrap piece(s) should be the same variety of wood as the money piece and sanded to the same grit planned for the money piece.  It might show that piece needs to be sanded more for that finish, or that you need to fill the pores, or it wasn't the color you thought it would be.

And if you are spraying - definitely spray a couple of patterns on some cardboard to get the volume, pressure, nozzle orientation, etc just right.

No point in sweating the scrap exercise and when its done right, you won't sweat the real thing, either...
 
Guess I don't sweat the ones I use meaning there are many finishes I haven't used.  Those I use, though, I feel pretty confident about and don't sweat them much.
 
Peter  you mister average has nailed it for my finishing method's.
Although no one has complained I am reluctant to move away from my normal methods and finishes

Sal
 
Sal,

You do woodworking primarily on the side - correct?  Yet you are regularly making cabinets and things for others - whether for profit or not?  Do you wipe, spray, brush, etc., and use different top coats such as varnish, poly, waterborne, etc?

Peter
 
Average BUT reluctant to try the new and unknown.
I think the biggest problem I have as a hobbyist is that I would LOVE a seperate finishing area/room and I don't have that luxury...Yet  ;D

Frank
 
im fairly good with what i use the most but panic with stains  and new finishs on money pieces (even after test pieces worked ok) . i usually stick with what i know , or at least stay within the family or basic idea.
 
I really like finishing and look forward to it. Hate sanding, hence Festool.
If I could spray everything I would, but it's not always the right solution.
I always make a step panel to show clients. It helps me more than it is for them.
The first finish I ever applied was a french polish and I had shellac everywhere. Like french cooking it takes forever.
I am always trying new stuff, and experimenting so it takes me forever.
Tim
 
I am not experienced with many types of finishes, but almost everything I have made has been finished with an oil finish, shellac, wax or some combination of them, and I am really comfortable with these. I don't mind experimenting within these fairly narrow boundaries, so I guess I'm in the average category.

Mind you I'd rather be a master of one trade than a jack of all, particularly as I am making stuff just for a hobby. If I was a professional I think I would be under more pressure to learn about a variety of finishes to suit the clients' needs.

 
Richard Leon said:
I am not experienced with many types of finishes, but almost everything I have made has been finished with an oil finish, shellac, wax or some combination of them, and I am really comfortable with these. I don't mind experimenting within these fairly narrow boundaries, so I guess I'm in the average category.

Mind you I'd rather be a master of one trade than a jack of all, particularly as I am making stuff just for a hobby. If I was a professional I think I would be under more pressure to learn about a variety of finishes to suit the clients' needs.
Click to expand...

Richard,

I thought that you were a professional based on your work and the images of your shop.  WOW!  DOUBLE AND TRIPLE WOW!

You should be.

Peter
 
Thanks Peter, I just started woodworking a few years ago but I was always into building models and things from an early age. One thing led to another, I got more and more into the hobby and now I get to spend a fair amount of time in my workshop fortunately.

I have a friend who is a furniture upholsterer- totally old school been around for years and learned the traditional techniques back in Portugal- and he has taught me such a lot, especially about finishes. Whenever I have questions he's my first port of call. The FOG's usually the second!
 
I would classify myself as average.

Used to be very bad, but what really helped were the Finishing series by Charles Neil.
He covers pretty much everything. Now, I don't do spray coatings but is able to do pretty big pieces with waterborne stains without any major issues.

 
I used to do all oil and wax, but have done lacquer which I find to be a great finish if you can spray.  I recently did a water based spray (Enviro) and found it to be challenging at first but got the hang of it with a bit of practice.  I also recommend Charles Neil's 10-pack DVD set.  It took a lot of time to watch all the videos but his series is really helpful for understanding finishing, stains versus dyes, recovering from mistakes, etc.

I'd say I'm average at this point - as a home hobbiest.

neil
 
I don't fit any of those categories. I am an experimenter, and I have a sander, and lots to time to do things over, and over if necessary. Lately I have been experimenting with pure tung oil due to all the raves I hear about gunstocks with multiple layers of tung oil. It builds real slowly, and for the type of finish I am looking for, somewhere between 20 and 30 coats is necessary followed by some buffing and wax. Its a good thing I enjoy watching paint dry.

As an experimenter, I have mixed up formulations of linseed oil and varnish and tried some recipes that have been published in Popular Woodworking. Most of them have worked out OK.

I tried spraying water based stain followed by shellac followed by glaze followed by multiple coats of shellac. That was a bit of an ordeal, and my HVLP knowledge and skills need a lot of work.

I have followed the Per & Bob Swenson bartop formula with very good results. Alas, Behlens Rock Hard Varnish is no longer being produced.

My biggest finishing disappointment occurred on my first serious piece of furniture, (a bookcase), that I built in 1975. I followed the recommendations from someone in a hardware store in northern Minnesota involving filler for the oak boards, Watco Danish Oil finish and a topcoat of poly. Over the years it has turned hazy. I keep it that way as a reminder that I have learned a few things over the years. Sometimes you need to let your mistakes stare you in the face to remind you what not to do.

Charles
 
CharlesWilson said:
.....

I have followed the Per & Bob Swenson bartop formula with very good results. Alas, Behlens Rock Hard Varnish is no longer being produced.

.....
Charles
Click to expand...

[scared] [eek] Bummer!  I loved that stuff.  I have a quart can in the shop, will have to think hard on how to use it...
 
I'd say I'm average, I know the products that I use well, and do fine with them.

I'm not afraid to try new things and usually they work out fine. I always try them on sample boards first, and a separate finish room truly made me half the finisher I am today.

Mike
 
This is a interesting topic Peter.  We finish most of our trim with satin poly but would like to try something that is easier to work with but haven't yet. I have tried the suffix system for flat surfaces, like mantles and tabletops and been pretty happy but I don't think it can be applied over a stain which is pretty limiting.
 
I'll say average. I just buy OSMO polyx oil, apply two coats, and forget about it!

Surfix is pretty good too... (but sometimes I put OSMO in the surfix thingy... [big grin])

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

semenza
How do you work?
Replies
16
Views
8K
semenza
semenza
Back
Top