Finishing in Winter: It’s actually easier with lacquer than with varnish
Winter is fast approaching, and it may be that your shop or garage is not warm enough for finishes to dry in a reasonable time. Bob Flexner has the answer.
The Skilled Worker Shortage: A little off topic, but only a little.
Recently at a meeting of the Wood Products Manufacturers Association, executives were asked to list their main business challenges. Nearly all listed the same three: finding skilled workers, [...]
Aliphatic Hydrocarbons: Are they different from mineral spirits and paint thinner?
You may have seen some of my complaints directed at Minwax and General Finishes for listing “aliphatic hydrocarbons” as an ingredient on some of their products rather than the more common [...]
Methylene Chloride – Part 3: I’m still trying to stir up some resistance to what is happening
I’ve written several times in the last year or so about paint strippers that contain methylene chloride or n-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP). My first relevant article in Popular Woodworking [...]
Finish both sides: is it necessary to do this or not?
Here’s a question that comes up often. I just got it again from a reader. Is it necessary to finish both sides of tabletops to prevent warping?
Is it necessary to apply a lacquer sanding sealer over a coat of shellac to seal the wood?
A reader wanted to know if he should apply a lacquer sanding sealer on some wood that had had a coat of shellac already applied. He intends to continue with topcoats of lacquer. There is so much [...]
Here’s an Alternative Way of Applying Stain: Spray and Leave Unwiped
The usual way of applying stain is to apply a wet coat and wipe off the excess before it dries. You can use a rag, brush or spray gun to apply the stain. When you wipe off the excess, you …
Oil and Wiping Varnish Finishes: How Many Coats Should You Apply?
The instructions for applying oil and wiping-varnish finishes are usually to wipe or brush on a wet coat, wait a bit, then wipe off the excess and let what remains dry. So I got this question [...]
You Can’t Ruin Your Woodworking Project With a Finish
There are really only two things they (or you) can do with a finish that can’t be fixed fairly easily. One is to apply a stain to a blotch-prone wood, and the other is to apply a stain to any …
Heat Marks on Catalyzed Varnish Finishes: These Can Be Impossible to Remove
I got a call from a long-time client asking me to come by and see if I could fix the heat damage to her dining table. I was actually quite familiar with that table. Twenty years previously she [...]
Bubbles in a Finish: How to Avoid Them or Deal With Them
One of the most frustrating flaws in a dried finish is bubbles. The trick is to avoid getting them in the first place. If you can’t do this, you need to deal with them when they do occur. They [...]
Thinning Oil and Varnish: It Can Seem Confusing
Recently, I had an exchange with a friend who does woodworking as a hobby, and the exchange made me realize that the need to thin oil and varnish, especially varnish, and including polyurethane [...]
