Chachski

Post 1: Miscellaneous samples experiment by Chachski // thoughts & future finishing daydreamzzz    

I spent a lot of the first week sanding and getting everything lined up for my first finishing project. I'll talk about that more in my next post.

For my experiments I wanted to see the subtle differences when using various concentrated undertones before applying a stain. I want to tackle finishing at a turtle's pace because I want to observe any weird stuff that comes up and understand why this happened and how to avoid it in the future.

I definitely see the benefit of building up your finish rather than just slapping on some stain considering the sample I made with no lacquer thinner or any toning of dyes or concentrate looks rather dull. Spraying lacquer thinner on my board was also helpful for applying my finish a bit more evenly. Though Lacquer thinner is highly volatile (and so evaporates quickly) the finish must be applied immediately for this process to work. Thinners (or solvents) like mineral spirits or "paint thinner" are less volatile and are more often used if oil based finishes are to be applied. However, they will will cause a problem for a coating like lacquer unless they are properly dried. 

It's also cool to see how the exact same finishing recipe looks totally different on different woods due to their natural tone and absorption rate (Scroll down for examples).

Some issues I discovered along the way was bubbles in my polyurethane when the finish was both wet and dry, and also uneven sanding of my poly resulting in scraping of my lower layers. Lower on the page you can read more about and see some of my discoveries.

Overall it was a fun experiment, it will be nice to experiment more when I have projects in mind and a vision for my finishes rather than just playing around with no particular direction in mind. Typical virgo.

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Post 2: Spice Rack Project   

I love how these ended up coming out; the finish has a lot of depth to it and I feel like I have a solid recipe to hold on to for future oak projects. I experienced a lot of challenges scuff sanding & my edges; I would often go too heavy on the scuffing or knick the very sensitive edges and remove the stain. This was hidden quite well after touch-ups.  I spent the most time on sanding and surface prep, and the results were worth the work since I had a really smooth surface to lacquer, which is ideal.

I am also really happy I took the time to make a sample board because I was really able to appreciate the slight improvements with each layer that built my final finish and what each of the products does.

In this video I am lacquering the walls using a method to reduce overspray bouncing off of the 90 degree wall onto the rest of my piece. By tightening the fluid and air controls so that the lacquer shoots out as a centralized dot and "chasing" the overspray towards the fan, I am focusing on an even application as well as guiding the overspray to where I want it to go, reducing the amount that gets on my piece and me, too:

In this video I am brushing on the glaze coat against the grain of my wood so that it really gets into all the pores and grain of the oak. When I wipe off, I make sure to wipe with the grain.

My final piece came out identical to my storyboard. I fine-tuned any small imperfections, such as excess drips of lacquer and any overspray, with a bit of scuff sanding at 320-grit, cleaned off the dust with methanol, and applied my protective wax coat; first applying the wax, wiping off with the grain, and then buffing with a clean rag. Here's the end result:

Some notes on finishing overall:  this is a really technical but fun field. I feel like there is a lot to learn and I enjoy the process of building a finish more than I expected to.
I would maybe audit some classes or try to apprentice a pro in order to get some tips on 'safer' and greener finishes to use for edibles and children's toys that are still as vivid and exciting as the fast-drying highly optimized stuff. Thanks for a great module!! This was fun and eye-opening.

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eye candy & stuff