Woodtalk podcast

[HowardH]

I am a fan of the Marc Spagnolo, Matt Cremora and Shannon Rogers Woodtalk podcast. They pass along a lot of good info and it's pretty entertaining. Today, they were talking about finishing and after listening, it made me feel better about my pathetic attempts to get a professional quality finish on my projects. They spent a lot of time talking about how difficult it is to become truly proficient at finishing and how many pro-woodworkers send their projects out to have the finish applied.  New advances in finish materials has made the job easier but to achieve a highly consistent, even finish, especially on a large area piece, takes a lot experience and expertise so from now on, I'm not going to beat myself up for projects not looking like it came out of a Henredon factory. 

 

[six-point socket II]

I think in the end it all comes down to experience, taking the time to get there if one can, quality of materials and quality of tools. Wouldn't blame anyone for outsourcing finishing & painting if it's not their cup of tea/ what they are proficient in.

I'm doing more paint than actual clear coat/high gloss finishes and since I started to listen to people who have an incredible amount of knowledge & expertise on this, my results improved visibly. Not only did the quality of finish improve, but I also got faster, my process more streamlined. Another very important factor was quality of materials. Since I nowadays strictly buy where & what the pros buy, my results have become far more predictable.

If I look, for example, at the first doors I've painted in this house, and the one I finished yesterday - it's a difference like day and night.

Getting where I am today took it's time, and I'm still merely a beginner - good enough that I don't have to hide under a rock for my results. And I have yet to learn how to spray if I ever wanted to do it, for now I only roll my paint.

Understanding the different types of paint rollers, which of them work best with what primer/paint, how to fix dents so they become invisible, applying thin coats until you get where you want, not rushing it but still finish in a timely manner, different techniques of applying the coats, (...).

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Steve1]

My woodworking skills, while certainly not professional, are not too bad.
Where I struggle the most is design and finishing.  I am slowly getting better at both.
Probably, a lot of us start by finishing with Minwax products from the hardware store.  At one point, I graduated to General Finishes products.  Then I took another big step forward with the purchase of my Fuji HVLP.  I don't know if I will try Rubio Monocoat -- I am just a hobbyist -- fast and easy is not my top priority.   

I listen to the Woodtalk podcast frequently.  The last podcast was pretty good.  Too often, however, they are speaking about everything except woodworking.  Like last week's discussion about Christmas lights.