Woodworker's Journal 2011-35-Winter, страница 55
The first step in "rubbing" is gently sanding the cured finish. The author recommends using either the gray/white or gold self-lubricating 400-grit sandpaper. of "brushed" brass. Let the coating cure at least two days for fast drying finishes like shellac and lacquer and at least a week (longer if you can wait) for oil varnish and polyurethane. Water-based finishes vary, but I'd play it safe and wait three weeks or longer. Some water-based finishes are sensitive to the solvents found in paste wax, and it may take weeks for them to fully cure. There are just four simple steps to a satin rub and, like most finishing, the first one involves sanding. Start by Sanding Use 400-grit or P800-grit stearated (self-lubricating) sandpaper to rid the surface of any raised nibs or rough spots. Don't sand any more aggressively than you must — the point is simply to remove any rough areas and dust nibs. In many cases, it will take only seconds to remove the stray nibs, but surfaces with slight orange peel or brush marks will need a bit more attention. Fold the paper in thirds and use just the weight of your hand to lightly scuff-sand the finish. Be very careful near the sharp edges of the furniture to avoid sanding through. Steel Wool and Wax Take a pad of 0000 steel wool and dip it into some paste wax (any brand will do). The wax will help lubricate the rubbing pad and make the fine scratches more uniform. Hold both hands flat, one atop the other, on top of the pad. Press down and rub the surface with the grain. On an inlaid or parquet top, simply choose one direction to rub, usually along the length. Start by carefully rubbing the ends, but hold your hand flat and fingers straight so you don't roll over any sharp edges. It's easy to miss the very end when you do the primary rub, so hitting them separately first makes sense. Now go back and, with substantial pressure on the pad, rub back and forth with the grain. Rub in a perfectly straight line and avoid "Chinese bridges." Make long, even strokes from one side of the panel or top to the other. Overlap slightly on the next stroke, just as you would when brushing or spraying finish. When you have made your way going side to side from the front edge to the back edge, continue rubbing and head back the other way. When you return to your starting edge, you'll have made one full pass. I do six full passes, adding extra paste wax if the pad gets too dry. Don't worry about applying too much wax — we'll be removing it directly. Wiping Off the Bulk of the Wax With a soft cloth, or some of those ubiquitous blue Scott shop towels, wipe off all the wax you can as soon as you are finished rubbing. Don't wait to let the wax dry or you will have to buff it off, and that will make the surface shiny. Our objective here is to keep it satin. Get off as much as you can wipe immediately. Now take your thumb and, pressing firmly, swipe it across any part of the rubbed top. Chances are, it will leave a smear, indicating that in spite of our best efforts, there is still too much wax left on the surface. A smeary top is not what we are after, so the last step is designed to remove all the excess wax. Removing Excess Wax Sprinkle a bit of cold water over the entire surface, or mist some on with a pump sprayer. Take a new 0000 steel wool pad and, using no more pressure than just the weight of your hand, go back and carefully repeat your rub pattern one more time. Go side to side from the edge nearest to the farthest edge. Now stop, flip the pad to the clean side, and continue this gentle rub back to your starting edge. You'll notice that the pad has picked up quite a bit of wax. That's because the cold water helped congeal the wax so that the steel wool could cut it off rather than continue to smear it around. While most will continues on page 56... winter 2011 55 |
