# Tack cloths, How important ?



## MrWoody (Jan 25, 2008)

Ok, I just spent 2 days sanding.(Maybe with a few longesh breaks, I hate sanding). I know I should use tack cloths before finishing, but recently there was something about them possibly being responsible for fish eye.
So is there an alternative method for clean up before finishing ?


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

Not sure about fisheye. I usually use compressed air. I think it's way better than a tack cloth.


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## toyguy (Nov 23, 2007)

Yip, I too use the compressed air method. No compressor, no problem, try a can of air.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

What finish in particular?

I don't do much lacquer, but for poly I just wipe down with a mineral-spirits-dampened rag.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Fish eye is generally not a problem with tack cloths. Instead what they do is transfer chemicals to the wood that may interfere with the stain/finish. It is better to use compressed air or a clean cloth with mineral spirits to remove the dust and sanding grit between each individual grit that is used in the sanding routine.


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

And those micro-fiber tack clothes work as well, as long as you aren't transferring the offending chemicals in the same manner as a regular tack cloth. If you are using the compressed air technique, try doing it in an area other than the spray site, or let the air settle before firing up the spray gun.

The regular tack cloths can be a problem with waterborne lacquers.


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## North40 (Oct 17, 2007)

I've heard the compressed air method before, and I use compressed air as a first step, but even though I use a blow nozzle at 110psi a couple of inches from the wood I still find a layer of very fine dust is left on the surface. I'd love to skip the tack cloth step, but I've never found that air alone would get my pieces clean enough.

I've used the waxy cloths without any fish-eye until recently (and I'm not positive that my problems were caused by the tack cloth), but the microfiber cloths seem to do just as well and last longer.


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## MrWoody (Jan 25, 2008)

I love this site. You ask a question and get 6 replies in a couple of hours.
I'm not sure that blowing the dust off is a good idea in my 12' X 20' ft. wood, metal, welding shop and finishing room. I'm going to be using a wood conditioner that calls for Mineral Spirits for clean up. Now I've never used a wood condidtioner before, so can I assume that wiping down with it won't be a problem?
Should I leave it dry over night before applying the conditioner? I can leave the air cleaner running over night as well. That should keep too much dust from settling on it.


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## brownkm (Feb 9, 2008)

I usually wipe down with mineral spirits before staining, mostly to look for glue spots… but I also have used tack cloths between coats of poly, on a number of projects, and never had a problem. I'm transitioning to microfiber cloths for that now though - I think I like them better - my hands don't get so sticky.


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## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

I always tack cloth. No problems yet.


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## jeffthewoodwacker (Dec 26, 2007)

I use compressed air and a clean cloth with mineral spirits.


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## mrtrim (Oct 11, 2007)

the reason you get fisheyes from a tack rag is usually applying too much pressure on them . the concept is too litely drag the cloth over the surface and the dust sticks to the wax . when you use too much pressure it can transfer the wax onto your piece . on smaller pieces i choose to use my clean bare hand because i can feel the dust that i cant see .


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

i use compressed air but i have used tack clothes in the past and they work good too but on porous woods compressed air is better because the cloth doesn't clean out the pores well. otherwise tack clothes work fine in my opinion.


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## sbryan55 (Dec 8, 2007)

Wood conditioner is simply a diluted finish. You can either buy it premade or make your own. Examples of conditioners are:

1 pound cut of shellac
lacquer 1:1 with lacquer thinner
thin varnish/oil poly with 2 parts of mineral spirits to 1 part of varnish/poly

Bulls eye shellac is available in both a 2 and 3 pound cut. Just thin with alcohol to desired cut.

Hope this helps.


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## MyronW (Sep 25, 2007)

I use a shop vac with HEPA filter and a soft bench brush. Tack cloths can contaminate the surface, and air compressors just launch the dust into the air. What goes up must come down, and it will probably come down on your nice, sticky fresh coat of finish.


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## MsDebbieP (Jan 4, 2007)

in one of my interviews I did (I forget which one), when I asked "any tips for LumberJocks" the quick reply was GET RID OF THE TACK CLOTHS". 
or something like that


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## jrm (Mar 20, 2007)

Tack clothes are what we woodworkers keep our dirt,grease,lint ,oil and other contaminates in so we can apply them to the next piece we finish.

Regards
Jerry


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## Radish (Apr 11, 2007)

Although I believe at least one jock here has had no problem using standard shellac, I would point out that Zinsser Sealcoat is a 2 lb cut of dewaxed shellac that is warranted to be compatible under any clearcoat without causing adhesion difficulties, has some process applied that provides for extended shelf life and has been picked up over the last few years by Lowe's/Menards/Home Depot. There is a manufactured date on the bottom and the stuff seems to move fast enough that one has little to fear that it has gone over the pale. Old shellac just never hardens, which as you might guess, is a good way to screw up a nice project.

Cut 1:1 with denatured alcohol it makes a superb wood conditioner, perfect under dyes and stains for woods with a tendency to blotch (pine, cherry).

Shellac is one hundred percent safe even on baby furniture etc., and can be padded on fast and rubbed out between coats in an hour or less. While not as heat or water resistant as poly or alkyd varnish, it is a very forgiving and convenient topcoat. Love the stuff…


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## brunob (Dec 26, 2006)

I too use tack clothes with no problem. They get very fine dust off even after I've used air.


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## brianinpa (Mar 16, 2008)

I always used tack cloths and had no problem with the finish. I stopped using tack cloths becasue I got an air compressor. There is a lot less effort to remove dust when using an air hose.


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## Pretzel (Feb 23, 2008)

I agree with Myron, vac. & brush, then spray to your little hearts content


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## Woodshopfreak (Feb 26, 2008)

I agree with everyone. I use tack cloths but compressed air is probbobly better. It would take alot less effort, and plus tack cloths are just annoying.


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## Dadoo (Jun 23, 2007)

I always go with compressed air. Gives the shop that fresh cut wood aroma, ya know?


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## DanYo (Jun 30, 2007)

my methods of finishing really has no need to blow off the dust or wipe it off before I apply finish to my work.

After I sand to 220 I apply lots of alchohol dye stain. Before the dye is dry, I apply liberal amounts oil stain. I then rub the oil stain with 0000 steel wool or beartex. I then use a cloth to wipe off the excess stain and let it dry.

when the stain is dry I apply shellac with a small cloth blob … usually about 3 coats

top coat is dark paste wax rubbed around with 0000 steel wool and buffed with cotton cloth


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## RAH (Oct 14, 2007)

Obviously wood working is not just about cutting wood and sticking it together, after reading this I now know I have much to learn about just prepping the wood to get a proper finish. I am looking forward to retirement so I can make wood working a full time job.
I use compressed air, my hands are so dry tack clothe sticks to them.


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

I have always vacumed my cabinets off with a brush attachment before finishing.

God Bless
tom


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## SteveKorz (Mar 25, 2008)

This site is great… there is so much info here…

I use tack cloths and air nozzle, about 50/50. I've never had any problems with either.


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## Al_Killian (Feb 15, 2008)

First I blow the dust off, then wipe it down with a damp cloth. This will remove the dust and leave the wood clean.


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

the tack cloths that you buy at the stores a usually cheesecloth saturated in BLO. so if you use it before an oil based finish you are good. the problem is using it before a waterbased or a lacquer. then you will get adherence problems. if you are going to do that you need to go to an autobody supply store and get tack cloths there. they are higher priced but designed to be used under water based.


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## cmaeda (Sep 1, 2008)

I have tried compressed air but it doesn't work for me since my workshop is a two car garage. I first use my shop vac to get as much dust off as possible. I keep the shop vac as far away as possible to avoid kicking up more dust around me. The car nozzle works really well in some of the tight spots.
Then I use a tack cloth to get every last bit of dust. I have used a clean cotton t shirt soaked in mineral spirits when I don't have a tack cloth and it seems to work pretty well too.


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## trifern (Feb 1, 2008)

I use a clean rag soaked in mineral spirits. I feel my work a lot to make sure it feels as good as it looks. The mineral spirits removes the oil from my hands as well as the dust. It will also highlight areas that still need work. Thanks for the topic.


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## Albert (Jul 28, 2008)

If you use microfiber cloths (or any other fabric) it should be washed without bleach and dried without fabric softeners. Both leave residue on the fabric that can transfer to the wood.


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## Critterman (Dec 20, 2007)

Wow, lots of ideas here, so let me add my two cents…Vacuum are said to be a bad idea since the best way to use it is with a brush and the brush can leave scratch marks (like sand paper) or at least that's what I was told. The old compressor idea works well, except now you have all that really fine dust in the air and it will stay suspended up there for a good while, even with an air cleaner sometimes. So, I learned from a renowned woodworker the old mineral spirits work great, get the dust off and show any imperfections at the same time. I see Kevin and trifern also mentioned this. Been using it for a while and it does work very well. It evaporates and leaves nothing but clean wood behind, oh another benefit; it will clean any oily stuff off as well. It's a good deal all around and it has been better for me than anything else I've tried include those listed above. Oh, just make sure you have good ventilation; passing out in the shop isn't a fun experience.


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

I know this is a really old thread, so sorry for bringing it back up, but I have a question:

I don't currently have any mineral spirits and didn't feel like finding the tack cloth I just bought.

So, I used a Swiffer, but before I did that, I lightly blew the pieces off outside, then came inside and ran the Swiffer over all sides of the wood.

This is just for the shoe rack project http://lumberjocks.com/JonathanG/blog/13293 that I'm building, so the finish doesn't have to be impeccably perfect.

Has anyone else used a Swiffer in this manner? How were your results? The nice thing is, once you use it, you can throw it away and get a new one out. Quite handy for such projects, no?

What are everyone's thoughts on this approach?


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## gerrym526 (Dec 22, 2007)

Fish eye is caused by any type of silicone being present on bare wood before laquer hits it (think Pledge wax residue for one). Tack rags don't contain silicone.
I agree with the compressed air approach-works well if you have a compressor, but make sure the dust settles before beginning your finishing.
Scott "rags in a box" used dry, have always worked for me in getting the dust off the wood before finishing.
I sympathize with you on what a chore sanding can be, but depending on the requirements of your finish, you may be sanding too much. This was pointed out in a recent FWW article. I was surprised when recently using a General finish for the first time-recommended finish grit was 150-I usually was sanding to 220, sometimes 320. Not having to go that high in grit really saved sanding time.
Gerry


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

Started trying to look into what Swiffer dust clothes are all made of. The plain dust clothes (original) seem to just be polyester fiber, at least what I have uncovered so far. Have not yet found anything that says they are embedded with or have any sort of silicone content.

I suppose the level of sanding also depends on how you want your finish to turn out, yes? With a rougher grain having more surface area and bigger pores for the finish to soak into/adhere to compared to a tighter grain. I'm sure lots of people have done an experiment where you basically take the same board, sand half of it to say 150 and the other to 300+ and then put your finish on it and see what happens.


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## rusticandy (Sep 26, 2008)

I use air- usually from my HVLP right before I spray, while brushing with a low lint rag to knock any attached particles away Low lint rag= one that's been run through the wash.


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## UncleSnail (Jan 28, 2010)

I am a novice (about 3 months) and am always looking for ideas. I dislike tack cloths. I favor shellac so I have been using compressed air and alcohol wipes. Its colder than a well digger's door knob here so I use the air outside and finish inside in my kitchen. Works for me but now I need to build a new kitchen table. Never really liked it much anyway. First time at this site…I like it. Dale


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## Dez (Mar 28, 2007)

After painting cars and wood projects for several years I would say yes, they are important! It depends somewhat on the finish - gloss or satin. It depends also on how clean your finishing space is. 
I have tried blowing off all the sanding dust and then used a tack cloth, you can see the fine dust that the air didn't remove. I wouldn't think of spraying finish on a car without them, and wouldn't apply a high gloss finish on a wood project without using them.


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