When varnishing over
stained wood, how do you keep the varnish flat without risking sanding
through the stain? Clearly my brushing technique leaves much to be
desired, but when varnishing small boxes of stained poplar, I find it very
difficult to avoid all errors-- too much flow on edges, for example, which
leaves a line in the varnish. In the past, varnishing wood finished
without stain, I'd just sand the error flat with fine sandpaper. If I try
that with the stained boxes, it's hard to avoid sanding through the stain
at the edges.

I'd be very grateful for any advice.

Ray

How many coats before you snad? What paper are you using to sand? What
brush are you using? Purdy makes some decent brushes which should
allow you to apply good even finish. How big is a small box, 12x24x24"
or 2x2x2"?

Ray Aldridge wrote:

When varnishing over
stained wood, how do you keep the varnish flat without risking sanding
through the stain? Clearly my brushing technique leaves much to be
desired, but when varnishing small boxes of stained poplar, I find it very
difficult to avoid all errors-- too much flow on edges, for example, which
leaves a line in the varnish. In the past, varnishing wood finished
without stain, I'd just sand the error flat with fine sandpaper. If I try
that with the stained boxes, it's hard to avoid sanding through the stain
at the edges.

I'd be very grateful for any advice.

Ray

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 17:20:13 +0000, Jim Behning wrote:

How many coats before you snad? What paper are you using to sand? What
brush are you using? Purdy makes some decent brushes which should
allow you to apply good even finish. How big is a small box, 12x24x24"
or 2x2x2"?


I have 5 coats of Polycrylic on the tops. (I know, but I'm varnishing
prints onto the tops and I don't want the varnish to shift the colors.)
I'm using cheap brushes, which is probably part of the problem, but even
if I were using good brushes, I fear my brushing might not be perfectible.
I use 240 waterproof SC cloth. Boxes are 6X6X2.

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 11:38:24 -0500, Ray Aldridge
wrote:

When varnishing over
stained wood, how do you keep the varnish flat without risking sanding
through the stain?

Thin it, say 70% varnish and 30% mineral spirits, and wipe it on. If
you store the cloth in a sealed jar, you can use the same one for an
entire project. You'll need 3-5 coats when wiping, it won't build as
fast as with a brush.

Barry

I have 5 coats of Polycrylic on the tops. (I know, but I'm varnishing
prints onto the tops and I don't want the varnish to shift the colors.)
I'm using cheap brushes, which is probably part of the problem, but even
if I were using good brushes, I fear my brushing might not be perfectible.
I use 240 waterproof SC cloth. Boxes are 6X6X2.

Good varnish brushes will make a noticable difference. Here's a few
suggestions:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...urrency=1&SID=

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...urrency=1&SID=

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...urrency=1&SID=

Ray Aldridge wrote:

When varnishing over
stained wood, how do you keep the varnish flat without risking sanding
through the stain? Clearly my brushing technique leaves much to be
desired, but when varnishing small boxes of stained poplar, I find it very
difficult to avoid all errors-- too much flow on edges, for example, which
leaves a line in the varnish. In the past, varnishing wood finished
without stain, I'd just sand the error flat with fine sandpaper. If I try
that with the stained boxes, it's hard to avoid sanding through the stain
at the edges.

Thin coats, just enough to wet the surface. Lay on each stroke, then
"tip" to lay the edges flat. Varnish against wet edges wherever
possible.

In article , pbwriter1
@earthlink.net says...
When varnishing over
stained wood, how do you keep the varnish flat without risking sanding
through the stain? Clearly my brushing technique leaves much to be
desired, but when varnishing small boxes of stained poplar, I find it very
difficult to avoid all errors-- too much flow on edges, for example, which
leaves a line in the varnish. In the past, varnishing wood finished
without stain, I'd just sand the error flat with fine sandpaper. If I try
that with the stained boxes, it's hard to avoid sanding through the stain
at the edges.

I'd be very grateful for any advice.

Ray


Practise and improve you varnish application technique. Use a toner
coat.

--
MikeG
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net