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Understand and avoid this common spraying flaw. by Bob Flexner pages 62-63 Orange peel is the most universal defect in a sprayed finish. It is a bumpiness on the surface that resembles the skin of [...]

Learn why certain oils cure better and what makes an oil suitable for finish. by Bob Flexner pages 68-70 Oil is one of the most important ingredients used in finishing products. Besides being a [...]

Not everything has to have a furniture-grade finish. by Bob Flexner pages 66-68 If you read the woodworking magazines or look online, you often come across instructions for filling pores, [...]

Solutions for common situations, from softening edges to stripping. by Bob Flexner pages 66-68 Here are 10 tips and tricks you might use to both speed your finishing and get better results. I’ve [...]

A brief history of a not-so-romantic woodworking education system. by Bob Flexner pages 62-63 Ever since the renewal of interest in woodworking in the 1970s, especially among amateurs and [...]

Is this government agency overreaching the bounds of its evidence? by Bob Flexner pages 62-63 This article is an opinion piece on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed regulation [...]

Air quality initiatives affect coatings availability in different areas. by Bob Flexner pgs. 62-63 Four years ago in this column I explained how VOC regulations are putting restrictions on large [...]

Simple in theory, not in the real world. by Bob Flexner pgs. 62-63 A reader of my blog (at popularwoodworking.com) asked me to explain what polymerized oil is. So here goes. On one level the [...]

Understanding causes and remedies of this typically shallow damage. by Bob Flexner pgs. 62-63 A friend sent me a web link to a video and short text recommending the use of mayonnaise to remove [...]

Knowing which half to believe is why finishing seems so difficult. by Bob Flexner pages 62-63 Many years ago I coined what I call my “half-right rule.” That is, half of what you read or hear [...]

An explanation of this most confusing of finishing treatments. by Bob Flexner pages 52-53 In the late 1980s, I hosted a local call-in radio show dealing with finishing and restoration. I remember [...]

The two products – both useful – are quite different. by Bob Flexner pages 50-52 Dating back at least 100 years, the term “lacquer” has referred to a non-crosslinking finish that thins with [...]