This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment I've always used spar varnish. I like how it looks. In this case I = modified the technique given in the article a bit. I sanded first to = 220. Then a diluted the varnish 1:3 with turpentine, saturated the = wood, sanded it in with 320 and wiped off the excess. Then I brushed on = a heavier coat and let it dry as normal. Afterwards, I sanded in one = more coat using extra fine 3M synthetic steel wool and wiped off the = excess again. I just finished this coat and though it leaves a really = nice feeling surface, it is not the glossy finish that one would have if = you brushed the final coat. It is somewhere in between satin and gloss. = Rather nice actually. But the jury is still out. I may brush on one = final coat if I decide I want the glossy finish. There is something = about a glossy varnish finish on an old board that has a real richness = that I like. I just hate trying to work so dust free in my small = production shop. David Love ----- Original Message -----=20 From: bases-loaded@juno.com=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: January 10, 2002 5:34 PM Subject: Re: Varnishing Soundboards Hi David - A couple things come to mind... There are numerous wiping oil blends (or make one yourself) that can = incorporate wet sanding, but have a longer "open" time, giving you more = leeway on something large like a soundboard. Surely, a soundboard = doesn't require marine-level (spar) protection anyway.... In Jeff = Jewitt's "Hand Applied Finishes" he gives an example of one part tung = oil, one part mineral spirits, and one part Waterlox transparent finish. = You sand the wood to 320, apply a wet coat to the wood. Wait 20 = minutes, then wet-sand the finish with 320. Wipe off the excess. Allow = to dry at least 24 hours, and repeat process, this time with 600 paper. = Repeat til you get the build you want. Sounds like it might be a more = forgiving finish for a large surface. Also, with all the sanding going on, and if you want to use spar, why = not just brush it on like usual, and sand out the inevitable dust and = rub it out to the desired sheen? Seems like less sanding overall and = likely less hassle. Just a few thoughts on a rainy Thursday eve... Mark Potter bases-loaded@juno.com On Mon, 7 Jan 2002 22:00:37 -0800 "David Love" = <davidlovepianos@earthlink.net> writes: There was a very interesting article in this month's Fine = Woodworking magazine that discussed a method of using spar varnish for = finishing furniture. It involved sanding the varnish into the wood in = successive coats using finer and finer sandpaper. The sanding created a = kind of slurry which acts to fill the grain of the wood. The excess = varnish is then wiped off and allowed to dry before the next finer grit = is used on the subsequent coat. I have always liked using varnish on soundboards for its durability = and look, but have found it a bit of a headache because of the time it = takes to dry and the problems with dust. This method supposedly avoids = that and creates a rather lustrous finish. Has anyone tried this = method? Any comments. The article mentions that for large surfaces you = may want to use two people. =20 David Love ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/68/35/0e/cb/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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