# Mineral Spirits or Tack Cloth??



## hjt

As many of you may know, I'm just getting started doing projects that have a finish applied. Most of my work has been rough or simply unfinished items.

I bought some tack cloth to help me with a current project. After using it one time, I find that I prefer a damp cloth of mineral spirits rather than the tack cloth. So I thought I'd ask you boys and girls which you prefer?

Which do you LJ use - Tack or MS to clean up the piece before applying the first and subsequent coats of finish??


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## TopamaxSurvivor

What makes a tack cloth pick up dust?


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## Manitario

good question topa; what puts the tack in a tack cloth? I use neither; just a good vacuum with a brush.


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## longgone

I have used micro fiber cloths for a long time and it works great.


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## TopamaxSurvivor

I use a soft brush then/ or compress air.


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## North40

I'm with Greg. I switched to microfiber a couple of years ago, and never looked back.


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## wmodavis

Tack rags are bought or made. Made by adding turpintine to a damp cotton cloth than adding a small amount of varnish to make it tacky.


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## oldworld124

Found this recipe on the Fine Home Building forum. This is very close to the real high quality tack rags. You can make a large batch of them and store in a sealed container. Should last a very long time. Make sure you test any tack rags before applying the finish to ensure they are compatible.

" Go to a music store and ask for a hunk of "bow rosin". Its a sticky lump of hardened goo that violin players rub on the horsehair to get the bow to make music when drawn across the strings.

Put that in a quart or so of turpentine-the real stuff-and let it dissolve for a few days.

Then soak some rags in that mix, and wring them out. Presto-tack rags. "


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## hjt

Wow!! more then one way to skin a cat… Love checking in with my fellow LJ's - they always have ideas and ready to share.


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## Rick Dennington

When I'm finished with a project, and ready for the finish, I first vacumn it off with the soft brissle attachment, then blow it off with compressor air, and wipe it down with mineral spirits….I hate tack cloths. I'll let the first wiping of m.s dry, then repeat a second time, and let it dry….....All finished. Now it's ready for the first coat of finish….whatever that will be…


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## ajosephg

I've used tack cloths but can't see any better results than just doing what Rick does.

In spite of all precautions I still get a few dust thingies in the final coat which I deal with a coat of carnuba wax applied with 0000 steel wool and polished with an old T shirt.


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## Flyin636

I make them with whatever finish that we're gonna shoot.Just a little bit works.

But reason for post is to say,like others have posted,an air blast is indespensible because it blows out crevices that seem to hide dust.The problem will show up if you don't because finish gun blows out dust from these little hideaways whilst spraying.BUT…..just make sure you're on top of the moisture thing WRT blowgun.IOWs you may be runnin a little cheater filter at sprayguns inlet(which is only sposed to be a last little check of sorts),but you may be blowing moisture and worse…....the "funk"* when using blowgun.Flyin636

*...."Funk" or "mayonaise" is the highly technical term for the mixture of water and oil blowby in compressor.Both of which need to be adressed as CLOSE as possible to compressor.Don't bet the farm on cheater filters…..and the almost useless,fruitjar separators.


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## Maveric777

I normally blow it off real well then wipe down with cotton rags (I buy them by the bag full at Lowe's) and mineral spirits or denatured alcohol. I had a finish once do some weird stuff on me after I using a tack cloth… Weather or not that was the reason I don't know… I do know I never used one since…


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## Cosmicsniper

A tack cloth/wet rag alone will not do the job if your wood is porous like oak or walnut. If you blow compessed air in the pores, you will see lots of dust flying out when you do this and the cloth itself can't get those. Now, you may choose to finish over the clogged pores and never notice a difference, but I've never found anything with which you can wipe that will unclog the wood.

I normally blast it with air, followed by a wipe-down with denatured alcohol or mineral spirits on a shop-towel, followed one last time with air to get the towel-fuzz off.


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## Earlextech

Microfiber!


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## PineInTheAsh

Store bought tack cloths can "dry out." You don't know how long they've been sitting on a store's shelf. The plastic wrap they come in are inadequate for long term effective life. Double or triple bag them in Ziploc type bags.

I like the superior and cost-effective shop-made concoctions and the use of a fine bristle, quality brush dedicated for cleaning.

-Peter


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## Rick Dennington

One thing I forgot to mention in my post above is that after you have done the final wipe down with whatever method you use, if you have an air handler mounted in your shop, turn it on and let it run for a couple of hours prior to putting the finish on. It will "scrub" the air, and clear out all the fine particles floating around. It's not 100% foolproof, but mine usually does a good job of"clearing the air"..lol. An air handler is a great addition to any shop.


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## pintodeluxe

"CHEESE CLOTH" 
I vacuum off my project, then wipe it down with cheese cloth. Cheese cloth is not tacky, but it picks up dust like a swiffer. Cheese cloth will not leave any residue on the wood. It is cheap, and readily available in most hardware stores. In fact you can find it in the same section as the tack cloth. 
With this method you can finish right away - no waiting for the air to clear, or for a solvent to dry.


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## hjt

Wow… even more ideas to consider!! I like the idea of the microfiber cloths. I too use my air compressor to blow out all the little areas the dust seems to hid in. And 18 comments later.. Cheese Cloth makes its' introduction. Great stuff guys.


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## gfadvm

Vacuum followed by air gun


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## DMIHOMECENTER

Isopropyl 75% or 99% does a fine job if a very quickly drying wet wipe is needed after the air nozzle. I use it with terry cloths, microfiber, and even the shop towels. I've never had it interfere with raw wood, sealed wood or after coats of dry finish. I've never used it just after stain application, but other than that it works great. It's a very weak solvent at 1/2 the price of denatured alcohol or mineral spirits and flashes off really fast. No grain raising issues, but I use the 99% on dry wood so really no water content to worry about.


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## TimK43

I *really* don't like the idea of blowing the dust off with air because all of that fine dust is now floating in the shop. My shop has enough problems with dust as it is, I don't need to add more fine particles right before I apply a finish. I have an ambient air cleaner but it seems like it just keeps the dust stirred up sometimes.

I do use a vacuum after sanding but I always wipe my projects down with mineral spirits. I cut up my old socks and use them for this very purpose because you can use the smooth side or the fluffy side depending on the type of wood.

As for dust "hiding" in the grain, I usually apply grain filler to open grained woods so I don't have that problem.


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## hjt

Great comments guy. Dave, like the idea of Isopropyl.


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