On May 20, 10:37 pm, DanielMatt <[email protected]> wrote:
> What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly? I've
> been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to be something
> better/cheaper.
>
> Suggestions?
I use General Finishes Seal a Cell and ArmrSeal, applied with VIVA
paper towels. Learned about it at WoodCraft finishing class a few
years ago. Works well for me.
On May 21, 6:02=A0am, depictureboy <[email protected]> wrote:
> On May 20, 11:37=A0pm, DanielMatt <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly? I'=
ve
> > been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to be someth=
ing
> > better/cheaper.
>
I have had nightmares using the water based poly, seems like it would
setup before it had a chance to "flow out
Back in the old days with the solvent based poly, I'd just put a tent
over the project to prevent dust, and everything was fine.
Now days I use an old white T shirt dampened with water first, and I
dampen the project also.
I have no idea what the project will look like in time, but that was
the only way I could get it to look reasonable.
I'm definetly looking for spray guns now
On May 20, 11:37=A0pm, DanielMatt <[email protected]> wrote:
> What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly? I've=
> been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to be somethin=
g
> better/cheaper.
>
> Suggestions?
I am getting ready to start a project using poly as well. I was
reading that the china bristle brushes are pretty good. But you want
to prep the brush first by soaking it in the liquid that would clean
it(mineral spirits). Also it seems that for us newbies, we dont want
to use the fast drying, so that we have time to work with it and get
used to it. I dont know if you can thin out the fast-drying to make it
last longer or not. I guess I am not really being that helpful.
I did see a tip though that you can recycle your mineral spirits by
pouring it into a 2 liter bottle letting the junk settle out then
pouring it carefully into another container( i am assuming you dont
want to pour it back into the original container but i could be wrong)
Leon wrote:
> "DanielMatt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:C459111F.38A5%[email protected]...
>> What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly? I've
>> been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to be
>> something
>> better/cheaper.
>>
>> Suggestions?
>>
>
> Read the can and follow the directions. For years I used wiping varnishes
> with good results. In recent history I have used General Finishes
> Arm-R-Seal varnish and the recommendation is to use a quality Foam Brush.
> Wooster Foam brushes at Lowe's work well. Surprisingly these foam brushes
> will work well. With this particular varnish I put a first coat on with a
> rag to seal the wood and follow that with a single coat using the foam
> brush, it goes on that thick and that evenly.
>
> Better yet use a Gel varnish. Wipe it on, immediately wipe it off and don't
> worry about runs, drips, or dust. Apply 3 to 5 coats.
>
> http://lawrencemcfadden.com/
>
>
Having been a painter for 30 yrs I have been applying varnishes by brush
for a long time. The Chinese bristle was the standard tool for any oil
based product. We would first work a little raw linseed oil into it to
help keep it from getting stiff after cleaning out the varnish. On big
jobs the brushes were kept suspended in a mix of the oil and thinner
overnight, then spun out the next morning for use. Mike is right about
the recycled thinner, don't use it for reducing your poly. I like to use
naphtha for that. Now we have some great new bushes such as Chinex and
Syntox by Purdy. The Syntox has very fine tips that leave a smooth
surface. On a larger flat surface I will use a foam roller to quickly
apply the poly and then "tip off" the surface with the syntox brush. By
that I mean you make one very light pass with the brush to level out the
roller stipple. Thin the poly, don't use it straight out of the can.
Have a powerful light at a low angle across the work so you can see
misses. A gravity feed gun is the best way to go if you have detailed
parts that are hard to brush. Coats of poly have to be applied within a
time frame so they will bond together. That's why lacquer is a great
product, each coat will melt into the previous but the spray gun is a
must if you want to use it. Once you get to spaying a good lacquer you
will be hooked and you don't have to spend a fortune on equipment thanks
to Harbor Freight, I know it's all from China but what isn't these days!
"depictureboy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
I did see a tip though that you can recycle your mineral spirits by
pouring it into a 2 liter bottle letting the junk settle out then
pouring it carefully into another container( i am assuming you dont
want to pour it back into the original container but i could be wrong)
**********************************************************************************
You can recycle your solvents this way but a word of caution - only use
those recycled solvents for your primary cleaning. Never use them as
thinners for your finishes. I would not even use them for my final
cleaning. Though the solvents may appear to be fairly clean after things
have settled out, they really are not. Contamination is almost guaranteed.
So - for cleaning the nasty stuff up, they're fine, but follow that up with
a cleaning with new solvents.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
"i82much" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:21d8b19e-63a9-4bb0-bde8-ceeee55a1921@t12g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
On May 21, 6:02 am, depictureboy <[email protected]> wrote:
> On May 20, 11:37 pm, DanielMatt <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly?
> > I've
> > been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to be
> > something
> > better/cheaper.
>
I have had nightmares using the water based poly, seems like it would
setup before it had a chance to "flow out
Back in the old days with the solvent based poly, I'd just put a tent
over the project to prevent dust, and everything was fine.
Now days I use an old white T shirt dampened with water first, and I
dampen the project also.
I have no idea what the project will look like in time, but that was
the only way I could get it to look reasonable.
I'm definetly looking for spray guns now
If you have not used a gel varnish yet you might want to look at that. No
problems that are normally associated with liquids and you can get spray gun
smooth with no effort.
"DanielMatt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:C459111F.38A5%[email protected]...
> What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly? I've
> been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to be
> something
> better/cheaper.
>
> Suggestions?
>
Read the can and follow the directions. For years I used wiping varnishes
with good results. In recent history I have used General Finishes
Arm-R-Seal varnish and the recommendation is to use a quality Foam Brush.
Wooster Foam brushes at Lowe's work well. Surprisingly these foam brushes
will work well. With this particular varnish I put a first coat on with a
rag to seal the wood and follow that with a single coat using the foam
brush, it goes on that thick and that evenly.
Better yet use a Gel varnish. Wipe it on, immediately wipe it off and don't
worry about runs, drips, or dust. Apply 3 to 5 coats.
http://lawrencemcfadden.com/
"RF" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>>
>>
> Having been a painter for 30 yrs I have been applying varnishes by brush
> for a long time. The Chinese bristle was the standard tool for any oil
> based product. We would first work a little raw linseed oil into it to
> help keep it from getting stiff after cleaning out the varnish. On big
> jobs the brushes were kept suspended in a mix of the oil and thinner
> overnight, then spun out the next morning for use. Mike is right about the
> recycled thinner, don't use it for reducing your poly. I like to use
> naphtha for that. Now we have some great new bushes such as Chinex and
> Syntox by Purdy. The Syntox has very fine tips that leave a smooth
> surface. On a larger flat surface I will use a foam roller to quickly
> apply the poly and then "tip off" the surface with the syntox brush. By
> that I mean you make one very light pass with the brush to level out the
> roller stipple. Thin the poly, don't use it straight out of the can. Have
> a powerful light at a low angle across the work so you can see misses. A
> gravity feed gun is the best way to go if you have detailed parts that are
> hard to brush. Coats of poly have to be applied within a time frame so
> they will bond together. That's why lacquer is a great product, each coat
> will melt into the previous but the spray gun is a must if you want to use
> it. Once you get to spaying a good lacquer you will be hooked and you
> don't have to spend a fortune on equipment thanks to Harbor Freight, I
> know it's all from China but what isn't these days!
Building furniture for 30 years and using the expensive natural hair
brushes I agree that they are great for painting. I avoid using a brush for
varnishes if at all possible. For me spraying is too much trouble with prep
and clean up. Wipe on Gels are way too easy for me to consider anything
else. Dust and drips don't even enter in the equation and you get a glass
smooth finish. Clean up involves washing your hands and 3 or 4 coats a day
are a reasonable expectation.
DanielMatt <[email protected]> wrote in
news:C459111F.38A5%[email protected]:
> What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly?
> I've been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to
> be something better/cheaper.
I use wiping polyurethane, applied with painter rags. The rags are mostly
scraps from cutting out T-shirts. They're usually nice and clean, but I
take care to examine them before use.
More junk gets in the finish from the air than from the rags. Light
sanding gets rid of it. I don't like gloss finishes, so I also lightly
sand the final coat with 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper.
--
Steve B.
New Life Home Improvement
On Wed, 21 May 2008 17:29:51 -0400, RF <[email protected]> wrote:
>Having been a painter for 30 yrs I have been applying varnishes by brush
>for a long time. The Chinese bristle was the standard tool for any oil
>based product. We would first work a little raw linseed oil into it to
>help keep it from getting stiff after cleaning out the varnish. On big
>jobs the brushes were kept suspended in a mix of the oil and thinner
>overnight, then spun out the next morning for use. Mike is right about
>the recycled thinner, don't use it for reducing your poly. I like to use
>naphtha for that. Now we have some great new bushes such as Chinex and
>Syntox by Purdy. The Syntox has very fine tips that leave a smooth
>surface. On a larger flat surface I will use a foam roller to quickly
>apply the poly and then "tip off" the surface with the syntox brush. By
>that I mean you make one very light pass with the brush to level out the
>roller stipple. Thin the poly, don't use it straight out of the can.
>Have a powerful light at a low angle across the work so you can see
>misses. A gravity feed gun is the best way to go if you have detailed
>parts that are hard to brush. Coats of poly have to be applied within a
>time frame so they will bond together.
Thanks for sharing the experience!
>That's why lacquer is a great
>product, each coat will melt into the previous
I spray lots, but learned a ton from the earlier part of your post.
Thanks again!
---------------------------------------------
** http://www.bburke.com/woodworking.html **
---------------------------------------------
On Tue, 20 May 2008 23:37:03 -0400, DanielMatt wrote:
> What ways have you guys found that work best for application of poly? I've
> been using those expensive pads and just thinking there has to be something
> better/cheaper.
>
> Suggestions?
Three or four of my wife's lint-free makeup pads, wrapped in a 3x3 (or
4x4) piece of T-shirt or similar material.