Spraying Oil Stains? - Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Jorge who writes:
I’m finishing some maple kitchen doors. I have a Fuji Mini-Mite 3x to apply the finish. I first applied a 1.5 to 2 pound cut of shellac and now I’m spraying the oil based stain. The problem is that I get what I think is called orange peel. Basically I can see the stain dots in the doors. Definitely the stain is not applied uniformly. Here is what I’ve tried so far:
- Applied a thinner cut of shellac thinking perhaps the shellac was too thick. Initially I used a 2.5 to 3 pound cut.
- Sanded the shellac coat more aggressively using 220 grit.
- Adjusted the hell out of the gun. I adjusted the air pressure, fluid control, fan size and any combination of these three knobs with no success.
- I bought a #3 air cap thinking that the #4 was too big for the viscosity of the stain. No success here either.
- Thinned down the stain to 3 parts stain and 1 part solvent. This helped a little bit but still the result is not what it should be.
I’d appreciate any pointers you can give me because this thing is driving me crazy.
And this is my response:
Hey Jorge. Take a deep breath brother! I don’t think the problem is in the gun or your technique. Its in the materials. The shellac, even at 1.5-2lb cut, might be a little excessive in this case. Traditional oil-based stains rely on absorption into the wood to work properly. By sealing with 1.5-2 lb cut of shellac, you essentially created a barrier on the surface of the wood. So now the stain just pools, much like trying to use a marker on a glossy surface.
So here are a few recommendations. If you need to seal the wood first (which is not a bad idea for a blotch-prone wood like maple), just use a 1/2lb cut of dewaxed shellac. After it dries, sand it very lightly with 220 grit. This usually results in a surface that is only partially sealed and will still allow the some stain to absorb. So you can then spray on the oil stain, and wipe off the excess. Do not let it pool up. You may even skip the spray at this stage because all you really need to do is wipe the stain on. Now to be honest, I might even be a little hesitant to do this. I just don’t trust traditional oil stains over even partially-sealed surfaces. So for more predictable results, you may want to switch to a gel stain. The gel formulation does not rely so heavily on absorption and will give you a much better distribution and intensity of color, without any blotching. Once the stain dries, you can then apply the top coat.
Now going back to the shellac surface. Lets say you had that heavier coat on and you still wanted to add color. How would you do it? Well, you could always add some dye to the shellac itself. That’s a great way to bring some base color to the party. You could also add dye to lacquer (if lacquer is your top coat). I like to make very light dye mixtures (using both shellac and lacquer) that are mostly thinner and dye. But I like to add a little of the finish itself to the mix as that helps bind the dye to the surface. Basically, this is what is known as a “toner”. Hopefully that gives you enough to chew on. Good luck!
Shellac as a Sealer? - Question of the Week
This week’s question from from Ron in Chicago who writes:
I have a table top that I stained with oil based stain and I want to use Endro Precat Lacquer but the directions say that I have to use a pre-cat sealer. Can I use a 1LB cut shellac as a seal coat or do I have to buy the special pre-cat sealer?
And here is my response:
Hey Ron. It is nearly always a safer bet going with the sealer recommended by the manufacturer. But, that doesn’t mean you have to. It also doesn’t mean you will get bad results using shellac as a sealer. Shellac really is like a universal binder. I like to think of it as a “clean slate”. A nice light coat of dewaxed shellac is a suitable sealer coat for pretty much any finish. I have used shellac as a sealer for pre-cat lacquer many times with great results.
Just to be safe, it’s always a good idea when trying some new combination, to test adhesion. Get a sample board, give it the sealer coat, then try the enduro finish. Let it completely dry and test for adhesion. You can do a few things for this. Try scraping it off with your fingernail. Then try putting tape on the surface and see if the top layer comes up when you pull the tape off. If either happens, the finish did not adhere properly and the shellac isn’t a good option for that topcoat. I have yet to see that happen though. Good luck!
To Refinish or Restore? That is the “Question of the Week”
This week’s question comes from Kyle who writes:
Lately I’ve been working on refinishing an old dresser. It’s been in my family for a long time and has been abused pretty badly. But since it was a family heirloom, it was like pulling teeth to convince my mom to let me restore it. I’ve seen your episodes on refinishing and I know about your experience in the field. I was just wondering if you could tell me what kind of things ruin the value of a piece and why you think there are so many refinishing “haters” out there. If a piece is in bad shape is it still more valuable than if an ambitious woodworker like myself made it look good again?
And this was my response:
Hey Kyle. From what I have seen, there are definitely two types of refinishing out there. You have the utilitarian version, which I am familiar with, which simply takes an old beat up piece of furniture and makes it serviceable and beautiful. This includes doing any necessary repairs, stripping off the old finish, possibly re-staining, and of course, applying a new finish of choice. The second type of refinishing is actually true “restoration”. This is a much more involved process that requires careful attention to detail and a boat-load of know-how. While I can’t tell you exactly how to maintain the value of an antique, I am sure it has a lot to do with keeping the original finish intact and doing spot repairs with period-accurate materials. Anyone in that industry could probably recite a long list of do’s and dont’s.
So at a point like this, you have a few questions to ask yourself (and your mother). Is this piece ever going to be sold? Is it highly valued by your mom simply because its “valuable” or is it an emotional attachment by virtue of its service in your family for so long? Also, it might be nice to know if the piece even has substantial value as an antique. Perhaps you should have it appraised before making a final call. You see Kyle, you could refinish that piece and make it look better than it did on the day it was created, but as a result you may very well (and most likely will) destroy its value as an antique.
As an aside, I will tell you that out of all of my videos (over 60 now), the one that I receive the most complaints and corrections about is the refinishing series. I suppose its my fault for not explicitly stating that this was not meant to be “Antique Restoration 101″. I had explicit instructions from the owners of that table and I did exactly what they wanted. An old decrepit table was pulled out of the back of a garage and was restored for sentimental value. The table would never be sold or even appraised. The customer simply wanted the table to match the color scheme of her current decor so that she could enjoy the same table her mother had enjoyed for so many years before her. Monetary value was irrelevant.
So really, this is a personal decision for you and your family. But to answer your question directly, even a beautiful refinishing job can completely destroy the value of an antique. Hope that helps.
Swelling Dovetails? - Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Ben who asks: Why do my dovetails dry fit perfectly - but when I go to glue them up, they no longer fit flush? It’s cheap pine (this is a test project) - and I’m using a dovetail jig: if that helps? Any suggestions?
And this was my response:
Hey Ben. My guess is that the dovetails are sucking up some moisture from the glue and swelling a bit, leading to a change in the actual fit. That means that if left alone for some time, the swelling would go down and they might get close to flush again. That being said, I very rarely shoot for perfectly flush dovetails anyway. I always aim to have my dovetails a little proud. This way, after the glue dries, I can flush them to the surface. If you aim for perfectly flush, you might wind up slightly under, which means you now have to sand or plane the entire board to get a flush fit, which of course brings with it a whole series of problems. But if you aim to be slightly proud and you wind up a little short of your target, the worst that can happen is the dovetails will be nearly flush. And if you are slightly over your target, a few extra swipes with the block plane are all you need to remedy the situation. Hope that helps.
*** Anyone else have some slick tips for perfectly-fitting dovetails?***
Tools For A New Woodworker? - Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Allan who writes: I am interested in woodworking but scared of buying a crap ton of tools and sucking at it. Can you please tell me what I should buy to get started? Thanks.
And here is my response:
When you are getting started, tool-buying decisions can be very daunting. To make matters worse, this is the worst possible time to buy your tools. You are just now learning about different aspects of the craft and your personal preferences, how can you be expected to know which tools to buy?!?! Not to mention if you decide you don’t really like woodworking, you don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling all of these recently purchased tools (although I have gotten some great deals this way, haha). So there are a few things I recommend doing. The first is to take classes. In a class setting, you will get some hands on time. This will not only tell you what tools you will need/want, but will also tell you what aspects of woodworking you really enjoy. Some folks like making big cabinets, so they need bigger tools to get the job done. Other folks fall in love with turning, scrolling, or intarsia, all of which require a smaller set of tools. And still others decide they want to go the non-power tool route and use hand planes and chisels for all of their work. So purchasing anything real expensive at this point would probably be inadvisable. Find a local woodworking store, or better yet a college or institution that gives woodworking classes. Knowing what you want to make and what tools are required to make them is the first step in coming up with a purchase plan that is appropriate for you.
I know that advice is a little abstract, but its advice I wish I had when I first started. Could have saved me lots of money. I would be more than happy to help you with specific tool choices as you progress.
***** Now I know you guys have some concrete suggestions for someone just starting out. Let’s here ‘em! *****
Great reference articles from FineWoodworking.com:
Getting Started in Woodworking - Check out Video #2
Soup Up a Flea Market Chisel
Evaluating Low Cost Chisels
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