Over the years I’ve found myself repeating certain phrases that apply to various situations. I call these phrases “rules” because they are almost always true. Here are ten of the most common.
In the March 2017 issue of Woodshop News, I wrote about the efforts of the EPA to eliminate paint and coatings removers that contain methylene chloride or n-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) from the consumer market.
You’re probably not all that interested in furniture polishes, but it’s a pretty sure bet that most of your clients are.
When touting the qualities of various finishes, the terms “protection” and “durability” are often used. The problem is that they are often used interchangeably when they actually have very different meanings.
Some finish manufacturers provide lots of information about their products that make it easier for you to choose among brands or within a brand to get the qualities you want.
I doubt there’s any problem in finishing more frustrating than fish eye. The problem usually appears as moonlike craters in the first coat of finish seconds after application, but it can also appear as ridges (sometimes called “crawling”), and it can hold off showing itself until the second or third coat.
Two-hundred-year-old furniture looks different than new furniture, even if the old furniture has been well cared for. The difference is caused, primarily, by color change (due to light and oxidation), wear and dirt accumulation as the furniture has aged.
With the recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, you must have looked at some of the pictures and thought, mold and mildew are going to be really big problems.
Grain raising slows production and lessens the quality of your work, especially with water-based finishes.
Arguably, the highest art of furniture restoration is recreating age. The ethics of doing so can be debated, but it’s still very difficult. So I love this story.
The most common method of staining is to apply a wet coat and wipe off all or most of the excess before the stain dries. Any application tool can be used to apply the stain – rag, brush or spray gun, or you can dip, then wipe.
Many shops use oil stains to get the color they want on projects. Oil stains are widely available at paint stores, home centers and distributors and they are very easy to use because they provide a long working time.
You’ll hear shellac tossed around a lot as the “best” sealer, mostly in woodworking magazines targeting amateurs. I’ve come across many professional finishers, however, who believe they should be using shellac rather than the finish itself, a sanding sealer, vinyl sealer or a catalyzed sealer for a first coat.