the silky smooth feeling dull finish

larry merlau

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Delton, Michigan
has anyone here done that soft and silky feeling finish its not not shinny but feels wonderful.kinda of a dull look(Satin). i have tried to duplicate it and so far havnt got there the closest i have gotten is to sand with 600 grit and then rub it with a rag but if i rub to much i get gloss again??? also i have read that STEEL wool isnt a good thing to use because of rust later on., have got some of those white and gray synthetic pads but only used them on wax and clean up work. any help would be appreciated. thanks
 
Best Satin and silky smooth finish is to Start with a Gloss finish, (Lacquer, Poly, or your preference) the rub down with Pumice and Mineral Oil. only takes a few minutes and the cleanup is easy. Wet a cotton rag with Mineral Oil then wipe on the surface, next sprinkle some pumice and rub out with the wet cotton pad. Brings out the soft luster of the finish, You can rub with more pumice if you want a duller finish or less for a glossier finish, finish off (after wiping clean with a clean cloth) with Johnson's Paste wax. buff a hard surface and enjoy...
 
As Bill said, start with a gloss finish - poly, shellac, or lacquer all work well.

I use 400 grit paper, used wet (water for poly or lacquer, and naphtha for shellac) then grey ScotchBrite pads to finish the job. Use a not-too-glossy wax after that. Trewax works well. So does Lee Valley microcrystalline wax.
 
If you are starting with a satin or semigloss finishing material, I have had bad luck rubbing... I always start with gloss.

The "avoid steel wool" relates to water base finishes. People have been using steel wool with solvent based finishes for years (centuries?)
 
no i listened to your wizdom charlie its all gloss:thumb: got 5 coats of top coat on now..just felt it before the last three top coats and liked it:) but didnt want to mess up now...
 
If you are starting with a satin or semigloss finishing material, I have had bad luck rubbing... I always start with gloss.

The "avoid steel wool" relates to water base finishes. People have been using steel wool with solvent based finishes for years (centuries?)
I usually shoot dull-rub Sherwin Williams lacquer. If I put a buffer on it after steel wool, it'll shine right up... much more than if left alone. Never tried it with gloss.
 
I usually shoot dull-rub Sherwin Williams lacquer. If I put a buffer on it after steel wool, it'll shine right up... much more than if left alone. Never tried it with gloss.

you mentioned buff it up yu mean to gloss again ??? becasue i am usiong sherwin williams product as well but am lookin for the dull sheen when i am done.. dont want the gloss.
 
Hi Larry; Here's a little advice regarding your question from a penturner, not me but another great friend of mine.

I was wanting the same finish on my pens as you are describing, so I used a Satin Poly.

Here's his advice to me. If you want a semi gloss finish why not use gloss which doesn't hide the wood and knock down the final sheen with a final rubdown in the polish phase?

The usual way to do this is with 0000 steel wool and some wood lube (Murphy's Oil Soap - also a stearate compound like commercial lubes works also).

I haven't tried it yet, but I have 5 pens in their final curing stage that I will be trying his method on.
 
Steel wool is only a question if you will be using water based finish after using the steel wool, because then if you don't clean off all the specks before the next coat you can get rust spots. But if your finish is cured before using the steel wool, it should be fine whether it's oil or water based. And it does work great. The only thing to watch out for is that you can get at all the surfaces you need to make matte.
 
Good points Larry, I sub Comet for pumas and paint thinner for oil and use the white GM pad to buff with. Then 0000 Leberon steel wools and wax to get a very silky finish. Each finisher has there way and your is a good one for sure.
 
Larry...

Reviving an old post...sorry about that.

I'd suggest this experiment. Get 4 or 5 pieces of hardwood scrap, about 3 x 6 or so, that have been surfaced. Apply 3 coats of gloss poly to each...I've found that water-based poly rubs out as well as anything, and it's quicker to apply because it dries fast. 3 coats will provide a buildup that's thick enough that some can be rubbed off. Let this cure for 2-3 days to make sure it's hard enough to withstand the rubbing. My vote is with Bill Simpson if you want that silky smooth, "how'd you do that?", feel. As for the grits used for this kind of rubbing, pumice and rottenstone are the most common...two grits of pumice followed by rottenstone. I think of it as sanding...you don't start with the final sanding grit, you start with something coarse and work up to the final grit...same with this. Pumice grits are the same as sandpaper...higher is finer. So start with 2F, then use 4F, then use rottenstone. Many use a felt block for the rubbing, I use a piece of old t-shirt folded into a pad...different pad for each grit. I've used motor oil, but didn't work so well...too thick. 3-in-1 works. The "real" oil is paraffin oil, make your own by mixing mineral oil (cheap) with a little bit of paint thinner...easy...that's what I use now. When you're rubbing don't just wave the pad at it...bear down a bit...you can feel the surface of the finish smoothing out, just as in sanding. Since you have a few samples, try to rub the finish off down to the wood...you can, and it's not fun when it's the real thing...good to know the limits. Take one of your rubbed out samples and rub some more using automotive rubbing compound...there are two common grits I think...the coarser one (red color) and finest one (white color). These are both finer than rottenstone.The result will look something like the finish on your new truck, and be smooth as a bb. In fact, any rubbing compound used for auto finishes can be used here. It will probably be shinier than you've said you want. My experimentation in this area is so far inconclusive. You can dull the surface by re-rubbing with a coarser grit to introduce scratch marks, but now you have scratch marks...rock and a hard place. I'm not a big fan of satin finishes because they contain an additive that scatters the light...how they achieve the satin look...and I think it also obscures the grain to some extent. But I'd suggest trying that as well...it may give you what you want in terms of "dull".

These samples now represent the smoothest and best that's possible to achieve. But it's a lot of work and doesn't always make sense, particularly for large pieces. The largest I've used this on was a coffee table, and it turned out beautiful. Now you can experiment with other suggestions and see how they compare to perfection with maybe less effort.

If you do this, I'd like to hear your results.

Cheers.
 
I must be doing someyhing wrong because I only spray satin lacquer and have never had to rub it down when I was finished to get that silky smooth finish. I must be to meticulous with my prep work I guess.
 
Alan...

If you never rubbed it out then in my opinion it's not really the same silky smooth finish, even though it seems silky smooth. Spray a few coats on a piece of scrap and try that pumice thing, and my guess is you'll see a difference. Whether or not it's worth it to you to go to that trouble is something else again.

I agree with the prep work angle. I'm building a jewelry box right now for my granddaughter, and I worked up through 3000 grit on that thing. It's polished and silky smooth with no finish on it (although it will have PTO), but it's still not the same feel that a rubbed out built-up finish has. Which one do I prefer?...jeez, ya got me there.

Cheers.
 
Trust me its silky smooth. My boss thought I had a spray booth to do the finish for the cabinets I built him. He couldn't believe that I sprayed his cabinets outside my shop on the lawn.

I sand my work to 220. Apply my stain and sealer. Sand with 220 again and use an air hose and tack cloth. Spray my finish and sand with 320 and again use the air hose and tack cloth. Spray another coat and sand with 320, then go over it with a grey or white scotchbrite pad. clean with the air hose and tack cloth and spray the final coat.

I done the rubbed finishes before and can't tell the difference beteween it and the way I now do my finishing except that it is more consistent in feel and sheen when I'm done.

Oh and silky smooth. I can say that because people come and always rub their hands on the projects because its so smooth.
 
not to drift, but thats something that bugged me at the woodworking show. You werent allowed to touch anything. Notice first thing you wanna do when you see a smooth piece of woodworking is touch it?
 
I can't give any hint about it because I'm an absolute beginner in finishes, but to describe that silky touch we use a sentence that says:

It's so smooth and silky that a fly will skide on it if it wants to land on top.:rofl::rofl:
 
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