Dusty Finish

william watts

Member
Messages
114
Location
Central valley, calif.
I just sanded the 2nd finish off a test piece using General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. I like the look of oil base. Dust is settling in the finish. I am trying to finish the 2nd of a twin bed set, the 1st bed has a few dust specks to the feel, but it will have to do. I am wiping the finish on. Over the years I have always use oil base, never had trouble like this.

Trying to do better I constructed a booth out of plastic sheeting and 1x3 and a fan that draws air thru a coarse and fine furnace filter an attempt to move clean air into the booth and dust out, not doing any better The question is should I forget the fan in the booth? Does any body have a solution for this problem? The next project will be water base.

Bill
 
I've never solved it completely, but I typically try to vac the shop, then run the air cleaner (the fan with filters should also work) for a while while the shop just sits. The inactivity, and the fan seems to reduce most of the dust problem...as it settles out of the air. Anyway, then do the finishing without doing any other dust producing stuff while the finish dries. I do use a booth as you describe, but that's more for spraying and containing the overspray than dust.
 
I clean up the shop at the end of the day, let the dust settle overnight and then apply finish in the morning. Then I leave the shop so I don't stir things up.
 
I clean up the shop at the end of the day, let the dust settle overnight and then apply finish in the morning. Then I leave the shop so I don't stir things up.

My grandpa did this, my dad does this and I do this too. Well maybe I don't clean up at the end of the day :rolleyes:, but finishing in the morning when all the dust has settled from the night before and leaving the shop alone until the finish is dry is the key.
 
Success, I let the shop air filter run for several hours and left the fan in finishing booth off. Then I turned the air filter off and let the dust settle over night. I applied the finish
the next morning, and no problem.:) A coating of fine grit had settled on areas of the plastic sheeting of the booth. This strange "grit" is not really dust, but feels like very fine sand. I have no idea what it really is or where its coming from. It's mystery grit and not dust at all. Thanks for taking the time to help.

Bill
 
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