Ok, I just finished putting the LAST coat of 3 of
a water-based poly (General) on my "show piece".

According to Bob Flexnet (sp?) he said to achieve
a rubbed finish - use mineral oil with water-based
poly and a Scotchbrite pad. The piece is two parts -
legs and a top (it's) a small table. While I did
the legs first - they had no problems. I applied
the oil with a foam brush, use the pad and the
legs were very smooth at the end. The wood
is mahogany.

However... on the TOP, which is curly maple,
I applied the oil and almost immediately - it
darkened, part of the wood. Ok, I thought - it
acted like the soapy water I used between coats
and it will "dry out" in a day or so. Well, it didn't.
While it doesn't look like "crap", it's not the look
I was after. I didn't think the mineral oil would
darken the maple.

So my question, 1) what happened? 2) while I put
the piece into the show - when I get back is there
any opp. for correction?

I'm living with it as it is for now.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

MJ Wallace

wrote in news:1121389199.881253.251990
@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

Ok, I just finished putting the LAST coat of 3 of
a water-based poly (General) on my "show piece".

According to Bob Flexnet (sp?)

Flexner

he said to achieve
a rubbed finish - use mineral oil with water-based
poly and a Scotchbrite pad. The piece is two parts -
legs and a top (it's) a small table. While I did
the legs first - they had no problems. I applied
the oil with a foam brush, use the pad and the
legs were very smooth at the end. The wood
is mahogany.

Oil & mahoghany are good friends.


However... on the TOP, which is curly maple,
I applied the oil and almost immediately - it
darkened, part of the wood. Ok, I thought - it
acted like the soapy water I used between coats
and it will "dry out" in a day or so. Well, it didn't.
While it doesn't look like "crap", it's not the look
I was after. I didn't think the mineral oil would
darken the maple.

This is consistent with my experience with oil & maple. Didn't have any
scrap to test with?


So my question, 1) what happened? 2) while I put
the piece into the show - when I get back is there
any opp. for correction?

Would this show be the one in Santa Rosa at the museum? Run by the
Sonoma County Woodworkers? I'll have to go take a look. A friend of
mine told me he got a piece accepted in that show as well, in the pro
division. His stuff is generally worth looking at.

The 'not doing this for a living' woodwork last year was pretty amazing
as well.

I'm living with it as it is for now.


Patriarch

On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 23:29:38 -0500, the opaque Patriarch
clearly wrote:

wrote in news:1121389199.881253.251990
he said to achieve
a rubbed finish - use mineral oil with water-based
poly and a Scotchbrite pad. The piece is two parts -
legs and a top (it's) a small table. While I did
the legs first - they had no problems. I applied
the oil with a foam brush, use the pad and the
legs were very smooth at the end. The wood
is mahogany.

Oil & mahoghany are good friends.

Methinks MJ could use a lesson in finesse. Waterborne finishes are
super thin, like shellac. Look at them wrong with sandpaper
or steel/plastic wool and they go away. I've found that to denib or
wetsand (which I don't like) a finish takes only the weight of my
hand, -no- extra pressure, to achieve. With oil/film finishes, I use a
no-burr scraper and a light touch to great effect.


However... on the TOP, which is curly maple,
I applied the oil and almost immediately - it
darkened, part of the wood. Ok, I thought - it
acted like the soapy water I used between coats
and it will "dry out" in a day or so. Well, it didn't.
While it doesn't look like "crap", it's not the look
I was after. I didn't think the mineral oil would
darken the maple.

This is consistent with my experience with oil & maple. Didn't have any
scrap to test with?

Isn't "curly maple scrap" an oxymoron? vbg

Sounds like he used the sandpaper and soapy water to cut clean through
all three coats of super-thin waterborne finish. The oil darkened the
wood through the holes in the finish just as an oil-based finish
would. C'est la vie.

If if were mine, I'd have taken naphtha or lacquer thinner to the top
to remove the oil, let it dry thoroughly (perhaps aided by a hair
dryer and/or sunlight) and then recoated with the finish -before-
submitting it to the show. I learned a lot of those finishing mistakes
and fixes early on, while refinishing junk for Mother Dearest and my
closest sister.


Would this show be the one in Santa Rosa at the museum? Run by the
Sonoma County Woodworkers? I'll have to go take a look. A friend of
mine told me he got a piece accepted in that show as well, in the pro
division. His stuff is generally worth looking at.

Hey, Glenn. If you're going Sunday the 24th, maybe I'll see you there.
I'll be at Mom's in Vallejo over the weekend to celebrate my sisters'
and my birthdays and will be heading home on Sunday. A chance to meet
you (OK, and to see some of David Marks' work, too) and any other Bay
Area Wooddorkers would be great. They open early (the crack of noon)
so I'll be there early. (What's this 11am - 5pm crap? sigh)

- - -
Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.
---
http://diversify.com Website Application Programming for YOU!

Hi MJ,
Maybe I am not awake yet. So you applied 3 coats of WB poly. And after
it dried ( 2 or 3 weeks?) you rubbed it out with mineral oil and a
Scotchbrite pad. OR did you mix the mineral oil and poly and apply it
with a pad? JG

wrote:

Ok, I just finished putting the LAST coat of 3 of
a water-based poly (General) on my "show piece".

According to Bob Flexnet (sp?) he said to achieve
a rubbed finish - use mineral oil with water-based
poly and a Scotchbrite pad. The piece is two parts -
legs and a top (it's) a small table. While I did
the legs first - they had no problems. I applied
the oil with a foam brush, use the pad and the
legs were very smooth at the end. The wood
is mahogany.

However... on the TOP, which is curly maple,
I applied the oil and almost immediately - it
darkened, part of the wood. Ok, I thought - it
acted like the soapy water I used between coats
and it will "dry out" in a day or so. Well, it didn't.
While it doesn't look like "crap", it's not the look
I was after. I didn't think the mineral oil would
darken the maple.

So my question, 1) what happened? 2) while I put
the piece into the show - when I get back is there
any opp. for correction?

I'm living with it as it is for now.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

MJ Wallace

JGS:

JGS wrote:
Hi MJ,
Maybe I am not awake yet. So you applied 3 coats of WB poly. And after
it dried ( 2 or 3 weeks?) you rubbed it out with mineral oil and a
Scotchbrite pad. OR did you mix the mineral oil and poly and apply it
with a pad? JG

Here's the steps:

3 coats of WB poly - dried over several days (the first and
second coats were at least a week old, the last, days old).

Took pad (white) and flowed on mineral oil.

That's when I saw the darkening effect on the maple. The
legs didn't show any problem and were treated the same.

Thanks for any assistance.

MJ Wallace

Rule of thumb: if the top coat is oil based use an oil based solvent to rub
out , water based use water. If any penetrates the surface easily repaired.
Pumice and rottenstone work with either. Generally I use a water based or
alcho. stain under oil and oil based under water, less chance of migration.
Or seal the stain with shellac and then use any top coat you want.
wrote in message
oups.com...
Ok, I just finished putting the LAST coat of 3 of
a water-based poly (General) on my "show piece".

According to Bob Flexnet (sp?) he said to achieve
a rubbed finish - use mineral oil with water-based
poly and a Scotchbrite pad. The piece is two parts -
legs and a top (it's) a small table. While I did
the legs first - they had no problems. I applied
the oil with a foam brush, use the pad and the
legs were very smooth at the end. The wood
is mahogany.

However... on the TOP, which is curly maple,
I applied the oil and almost immediately - it
darkened, part of the wood. Ok, I thought - it
acted like the soapy water I used between coats
and it will "dry out" in a day or so. Well, it didn't.
While it doesn't look like "crap", it's not the look
I was after. I didn't think the mineral oil would
darken the maple.

So my question, 1) what happened? 2) while I put
the piece into the show - when I get back is there
any opp. for correction?

I'm living with it as it is for now.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

MJ Wallace