Thread: Miniwax polyurethane

Has anyone had great results using mini wax polyurethane and y do u have to sande between coats can't u just spray on three coats and ur done

I haven't used poly on scales yet and probably won't. My fear would be that the poly, especially a spray on, would flake off or wear through over time, meaning that you would have to take the scales apart at some point to reapply it. CA glue is easy to work with and gives a long lasting finish as does tung oil.

Dane I was afraid u would say that where can I get ca what what is it called

Originally Posted by Tylerbrycen

Dane I was afraid u would say that where can I get ca what what is it called

CA is just plain old super glue and can be found just about everywhere. If I'm not mistaken, there is either a thread or a tutorial in the wiki about how to do a proper CA finish. It's really easy.

Ok...here I go again...more of my ranting

You sand off the highs to fill in the lows with the next coat. When you get to the point that you use a few swipes with the fine sandpaper and see no bright spots (or low areas) you are there. The next coat will be your final smooth, glossy coat.
I could go on for days about this but this is essentially your goal.

Stingray

I haven't ever finished scaled, but will be doing so in the near future. Although throughout my few wood working projects, I use a 400+ grit sandpaper between coats. After the first coat dries and you feel the wood, you will notice that there are little "splinter" things that will pop up. The sanding in my case, was to knock these little splinters and imperfections off and to get the surface smooth once again. Then I would repeat with the reapply finish, light sand, tack cloth very lightly, reapply finish, light sand, tack cloth very lightly, and finally a slightly more generous reapplication of finish. Some people prefer to vacuum instead of using a tack cloth because sometimes if a tack cloth is used too hard, the tacky substance will actually leave the wood discolored (like an oil smudge).
Like I said, I haven't ever finished a set of wooden scales. I'm sure you could get away with just 3 coats of finish without sanding, but the results would be VERY POOR compared to sanding in between coats and applications of finish. I made a chessboard and used a satin lacquer finish. I believe I did 3-4 coats and sanded in between applications with 400 grit sandpaper followed by a light wiping with a tack cloth. I used maple and walnut for the project and here is what it looked like before and after the finish.
Before the finish I sanded with 60, 100, 150, 220, then finally 400 (the 400 grit sand before the finish wasn't vital, but I wanted to have the best surface I could to apply the finish). Notice how dull the wood looks and that the colors don't contrast nearly as much as they do after the finish. I like how the finish really brought out the grain in the wood too. I hope this helps in the future!
Before...

and after...

Never used Min Wax poly spray on but did my first scales with Varathane in a tube. It was thicker so did not run as easy and turned out decent.
You already know why you sand between coats. The second set of scales I did using CA following the instructions in the wiki here. Have to say I much prefer working with the CA and I think it gives a harder finish.

Bob

I use wipe on ply a lot. you should rub with #0000 wool between coats. It will not work well on oily woods unless you use a few wash coats and prep the wood properly before you start coating.