Rubbing out a finish with the RO-150

[Dan Clermont]

Anybody out there have any words of wisdom on which polishing pads to use in which situation on the RO-150?

I'd like to use mine to rub out the shellac on a curly maple door panel.

Thanks
Dan Clermont

 

[Jerry Work]

Hi Dan,

Check out the Festool sanders manual I wrote and the one for www.targetcoatings.com.  Both feature the RO150 and show how to rub out a finish.  Be careful with shellac as it does not dry hard and tends to burn when polishing if you are not careful.  Practice on a test piece first.  Better bets for polishing are the water based materials that cross link as they cure, pre-cat lacquers, conversion varnishes and most urethanes.  Avoid any of the exterior varnishes as they will simply smudge under the heat of polishing.  You also may want to try the Abranet products from Abralon for use on shellac.  They go up to 4000 grit and while they won't do a mirror polish, they will do a good job of flatening, removing dust nodules and adding sheen.

Jerry

 

[Dan Clermont]

Thanks Jerry

Looks like I have some reading to do

Dan Clermont

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Dan,

You might also consider giving that shellac a light sanding to knock it dead flat, then coating it with one of the clear, curing types of finishes mentioned by Jerry.  Then you could follow the steps in his manual for rubbing out a finish.  Or, after knocking it flat with abrasives by hand, using a French polish technique for final smoothing and bringing up the gloss, if you want to stay with shellac as the topmost coat.  I've done this on some pieces, but I think it too much work to create a finish that is too easily damaged if the project is a piece of furniture.

Dave R.