yes, Thanks.



"Bay Area Dave" wrote in message
...
did you mean 0000?

dave

stoutman wrote:

I put a "mirror finish" on poly by rubbing out with 000 steel wool
followed
by pumice. (lots of elbow grease).






"Mike G" wrote in message
...

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