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TIP: Durable Finish for Enclosed Spaces

TIP: Durable Finish for Enclosed Spaces

A key factor in choosing a finish for an enclosed space such as a drawer, cabinet interior, humidor or a small room such as a wine or liquor cellar is residual odor. All types of varnishes and lacquers outgas smelly solvents for many days or weeks depending on the...

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Finishing the Finish

Finishing the Finish

“A finish should invite you, it should ask to be rubbed and touched and it should feel like warm butter.” Of any single thing that has been the definitive selling point for my furniture through the years, it has been the finish. Proper equipment, skill and environment...

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TIP: Make Your Own Paste Wax

Commercial brands of paste wax are as good as anything you can make yourself, but you may still want to make your own just for fun or to get a specific color or shine. Here’s how to do it. Grate the wax, or combination of waxes, into a container. Carnauba is available...

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What Went Wrong?  Predicting Performance

What Went Wrong? Predicting Performance

Greg Williams has been involved in the furniture industry since 1971, and has been intimately involved in the larger wood finishing world for more than 35 years.  He is retired from the RPM Finishes Group where he formerly served as Senior Instructor and Manager of...

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TIP: Avoiding Orange Peel

Orange peel is an irregular or bumpy surface in a sprayed finish caused by spraying a liquid that is too viscous, or thick, with too little air pressure, or by moving the spray gun too fast or holding it too far from the surface. When defined in this manner, the...

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TIP: Brushing Onto a Vertical Surface

TIP: Brushing Onto a Vertical Surface

Here’s a trick for avoiding runs when brushing a finish onto a vertical surface. Brush back over the areas where the finish is so thick that it runs to pick up some of the excess with the brush’s bristles. Then wipe off this excess onto a clean cloth you hold in your...

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Wood Prep and the Look of a Finish

Wood Prep and the Look of a Finish

The way you prepare the wood for finishing, whether by sanding as most do, or by scraping or planing as some do, has no affect on the way the wood will look with the finish applied. Different finishes add more or less color to the wood, but if you aren’t staining the...

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TIP: How to Avoid Runs and Sags

You should never have runs or sags drying in your finish whether you’re brushing or spraying. The way to achieve this level of perfection is to watch the surface you’re brushing or spraying in a reflected light. You may need to arrange some lights or move your body...

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