Wipe on Poly

Grumpy,

Wipe on poly is regular poly that is thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits.

It can be applied with a wad of lintless cotton cloth or even a paper towel. I like to seal the wood first with shellac, and then follow it up with at least (3) coats of the wipe on poly. You can scuff sand between coats to get the dust nibs off, and then blow or tack rag it off and apply the next coat.

Then let it sit a week or so and give it a final sanding with 400 (lightly), and follow it up with some wax. You can tell when it’s ready for the final sanding by smelling it. If you can still smell the finish, it’s still drying. When it’s sufficiently dry, it will turn to powder when you hit it with the 400 grit.

I hope that helps.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Depending on the weather where you are, the Minwax brand wipe on poly, dries fairly fast. I don’t normally use it, but a customer requested it for a ham radio desk that I built. I was able to put a coat a day on, sanding with 400 grit on my ROS. Like Tom said, when the smell is gone, you can sand, which in the my Texas low humidity, high heat climate, I was able to do everyday. After 4 coats, and a final sanding, I let it sit for 3 days, then applied a coat of Carnuba wax. Smooooth.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

You can add a little VM&P (Varnish Makers and Painters) Naptha if you wish to speed the drying time.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

i saw a cool tip for that in a magazine but i forget which one. essentials take a 3” paint roller, wrap it in plastic wrap so it doesn’t absorb the finish, and then wrap it in a cotton cloth using your hands to tension it so you get a smooth surface with no pressure marks. if you need anything else to help visualiz it i can go through my magazines and try to find it.

Grumpy,
I usually sand through 220 grit and then apply thin coats of wipe-on poly with a lint free or micro-fiber cloth. I then rub the dried finish with 0000 steel wool and clean off the residue with mineral spirits. I repeat the process 3-5 times depending on the absorption rate of the various species of wood. I have scuffed between coats with sand paper, but I feel that it is too aggressive and not as easy to control as the steel wool. Depending on the final desired gloss, I either leave it for a high gloss, or I buff it with 0000 steel wool and wax for a satin sheen. Check out my projects, they all have wipe-on poly. It is like most finishes, multiple thin coats are better than fewer thick coats. Good luck and report back on your results and level of satisfaction.

-- Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

Thanks for all that expert advice jocks, very much appreciated.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Well I learned a few things here. Good question Grumpy.

Thanks;

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Grumpy, my method is similar to Trifern’s, but with a bit of a twist. I’ll wipe on about 4-5 coats first, just scuffing between coats with a 320 sanding sponge. Then I sand with 220 followed by 400. This will take off a fair amount of the poly you already wiped on, but it will leave you with a glass-smooth surface. Then apply your last 2 coats as described above.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Thanks Charlie, much appreciated.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

I use wipe on poly a lot, FWW thought the minwax stuff was pretty good, and so do I. If it is good enough for Maloof, it’s good enough for me.

Maloof Oil/Poly at Rockler