No, I've just been rubbing out finishes for years.

If you have rubbed out a finish on a nicely figured wood and have to
question the statement of having depth and 3D effect you have been doing
something wrong.

As for gloss. Next time you apply a finish and the final coat has cured hold
it up to a glancing light, or even just plain looking at it. 90% of what you
will see is light being reflected off of the surface of the surface of the
finish. That is gloss. Now, really rub out that finish. Yes, you are putting
scratches in the surface and when they disappear to the eye see where the
light gets reflected from.

Now, if you want a more easily seen example of what rubbing out is all about
go to a car show and take a look at a cobalt blue metal flake hand rubbed 12
coat layer of automotive lacquer looks like. You won't see any light
reflected off the surface of that finish, what you will see is a finish that
practically glows from the interior with a real sense of depth.

--
Mike G.

Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"stoutman" .@. wrote in message news:dJcPb.89286$Rc4.436318@attbi_s54...
Mike,

You are WAY off on this one.

Rubbing out a finish puts finer and finer scratches on the surface
creating
more of a sheen (glossy). Glossy is the aim of rubbing out a finish.

Reflect light off the wood?? 3D effect on wood grain???

I think you might have been breathing in to much lacquer thinner this
morning.





"Mike G" wrote in message
...
I'd have to agree with that last on several points.

Varnish is quite a bit harder then shellac or lacquer. Poly even more
so,
something that makes varnish more prone to cracking from wood movement
then
shellac or lacquer. It's the reason spar varnish (a long oil varnish) is
marketed. The additional oil makes the varnish not quite as hard so it
can
accommodate the movement of wood that is exposed to the greater extremes
found out of doors.

Further, while it is far more labor intensive rubbing out the harder
finish
the harder the surface it can be rubbed out to as good a finish as
lacquer
or shellac. If you want glossy don't rub out the finish. Glossy is not
the
aim of rubbing out the finish. Rubbing out is a process who's aim is to
remove the reflective gloss of a newly applied finish then refine it so
the
light passes through the surface and reflects off the wood giving the
finish
a sense of depth and the wood grain a 3D effect..

--
Mike G.

Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Preston Andreas" wrote in message
...
If you are math oriented, the finish cures with a logarithmic curve.
This
means that in a month, it is 98+% cured, however, within a week, it is
probably 80% to 90% cured. It is best to wait a month, but
realistically,
you can rub it out in a couple of weeks. You must remember however,
that
poly is not as hard as lacquer or shellac and cannot be rubbed out to
as
glossy a finish.

Preston