Finishing problems in cold shop

Jeff Bower

Member
Messages
5,762
Location
DSM, IA
I turn in an unheated garage and my finishes haven't been real good lately. I usually finish on the lathe with Watco oil, formby's tounge oil finish or Minwax antique oil. I put it on with a brush, let it sit awhile, and then "friction" it in with the lathe running with an old t-shirt. The finish looks great when I take the piece inside, but by morning you can't tell there is a finish on it at all. Is this caused by the wood warming when I bring it inside? I didn't have this as a problem when it was warmer out, IIRC. :huh::dunno:

Help please!
 
Billy, thanks for the response...should I be bringing the turnings inside after sanding, letting them warm overnight and then take them back out for a "friction" finish? If it's a simple bowl I will just do a hand rub inside anyway, but I've been doing some vases with different shapes that the "on lathe" finish seems to work best.
 
Jeff, that "should" take care of the problem as long as you don't let the piece sit in the cold shop too long before starting. It won't take long for the wood to start contracting.
 
Jeff, I have an outside shop in my backyard with a heating radiator.
For almost one week now we have really cold weather with at daytime temperatures below freezing point.
So my shop heating can't keep up with the cold weather, unless I like it to get a big electricity bill.
So bringing up finishing layers of lacquer, or someting else is nearly impossible.
For me the sign, to close my shop, and waiting for better times. :rolleyes::wave:
 
Thanks Billy, I will try that.

Ad, if I waited until it was warm again I'd be another year older....spring doesn't come til March in Iowa. :D
 
Jeff,

Of course, I don't have the problem of cold temps here in Hawaii, :cool: but,,, I used to when I lived in New York State. I had a portable post stand mounted infrared heat lamp, the kind you might see used in a bathroom or in restaurants to keep food warm before serving, with a metal reflector. This heated the area directly where I was working. More basically, it heated the items and tools I was working on/with. You could place a lamp over the lathe and turn it on when you are working the piece. After you get your finish applied to your project, just take it in the house to keep it warm.

I wouldn't recommend having the lamp right over your head, as you would be sweating in no time, to say nothing of maybe getting a sunburn. :eek: It would be best if you didn't have it facing you either.

It worked for me.

Aloha, Tony
 
Thanks Billy, I will try that.

Ad, if I waited until it was warm again I'd be another year older....spring doesn't come til March in Iowa. :D

It's not that bad Jeff, a temp. of about 40 F is my limit. Holland can be as cold as Iowa. And for a retired guy like me, I have a magic word, never in a hurry again, like I was in my professional life. :)
 
Ad, I turned for about 3 hours sunday night...temp outside was 15. It was a balmy 17 in the garage though!:p Last night it was in the high 20s when I when inside. Insulated boots, stocking cap, and a small space heater to warm my hands, I might have a propane heater on the way soon if santa keeps me on the good list this year.
 
Ad, I turned for about 3 hours sunday night...temp outside was 15. It was a balmy 17 in the garage though!:p Last night it was in the high 20s when I when inside. Insulated boots, stocking cap, and a small space heater to warm my hands, I might have a propane heater on the way soon if santa keeps me on the good list this year.

Okay Jeff, I got the message, I have to admit that I did the same for 20 years when I was a young dog, but now I'm going for a bit more of comfort, just like now with a nice glass of beer in front of me. Cheers :D
 
Okay Jeff, I got the message, I have to admit that I did the same for 20 years when I was a young dog, but now I'm going for a bit more of comfort, just like now with a nice glass of beer in front of me. Cheers :D

Ad, I'm all about comfort...beer included for sure...but I'm too addicted to turning to let a cold nip in the air stop me...cheers for sure:thumb: I will be lifting a few of these tonight to get the chill out of me...livin the high life:p
 

Attachments

  • highlife.jpeg
    highlife.jpeg
    12.4 KB · Views: 5
So Jeff, did they run out of good beer in Iowa? All that's left is Swiller High Life? :rofl:

Just kidding...back when I was a beer drinker I tossed back a few Swillers myself. :p
 
I just completed a recovery mission from my friend's cold weather finishing. I determined that what had happened, was that he was warming up his garage but that the project had been sitting in cold all night before. So warming the air in the garage did not warm the piece and the finish did not make good adhesion before it skimmed over and the result was an alligatoring and eventual flaking of the finish.

My suggestion, I do this in my dust bowl shop in my basement... although the basement is heated and warm, the shop is not and relies on ambiant heat transfer to keep it warm, usually no problem, but when I work in the shop I make dust so I close the door, If I go to bed with the door closed then the room gets considerably cooler and so does the finish material and the project. Next day when I apply finish I am using cold finish material applied to cold wood, although the room is warm the materials and finish is cold, guess what is going to happen... condensation can occur as well as the finish is lower than manufacturer's reccommended temp, etc. Not Good... so I place my finish in the rest of the house the day before, so that it has time to warm to conditions and I move the project out to the rest of the room to accliamate whilst I clean the dust from the shop. then the next day when I am ready to apply finish I can move back in and have warm wood and warm finish and a clean area to apply. Lot of trouble (sort-of) but worth the effort.

With your garage you need to do the same, take the finish inside your house for a day or so, also take the project inside to warm the day before, then when the weekend comes and you can go warm the garage, take the project back out and then the finish and keep the shop warm till it is dry. I also have a goose neck lamp that I stand over the project, 100 watt bulb with metal reflector that points to the project, radiating warmth to keep down the chill after you go to bed. (Not close enough to burn but close enough to feel the difference.)
 
What about hanging a few shower curtains around your lathe and a small portable electric heater? My shop is in my basement and it get below 50 in the winter. I close off a small area and turn on a electric heat before I start and let it run for 1 hour after I am done. This gets the area up to around 65 or so and give the finish a chance to dry. The heater I picked up at walmart for around 30 bucks.
 
Thanks for all the good suggestions...I think I will be hanging some type of curtains soon as my wife seems to think she needs to park in the garage:eek::eek: and she said she doesn't want curlies and oil all over her car...She said she will even help clean. :D The small heater I have now might be enough if I do that. I always bring the oils and other finishes inside when I come in, I will start to bring the wood in as well.
 
BTW Vaughn...I was going to put up a pic of a Hamm's can (my beer of choice, no really it is), but I didn't have any left in the garage fridge...I will tonight so her you go. Ah....Hamm's The Beer Refreshing!
 

Attachments

  • hmsmini.jpg
    hmsmini.jpg
    20.3 KB · Views: 3
I'd been shivering too much just from reading yer posts to reply. ;)
I wood never do it that cold. But, congrats on yer determination.
My suggestion for finishing in that kind of cold: don't finish at all.
Turn now, put stuff on shelf and wait for spring green-up. Then finish.
 
My suggestion for finishing in that kind of cold: don't finish at all.
Turn now, put stuff on shelf and wait for spring green-up. Then finish.

Frank, I think I will be doing that by next week, but I still have 2 more Christmas bowls to make before I leave for KS on the 26th!! Highs in the 30s today, but will be back down in the low 20s by the time I get to the garage. I rough turned some wet maple last night. The sap got soft from the heat of turning, but was frozen when I went inside...Brrrrr.
 
Top