Wet sanding between coats

[RedShirtGuy]

I don't do a heck of a lot of finishing, but at the moment I'm having a fiddle around with Feast Watson's Black Japan Stain & Varnish (BJ is just a color, not REAL BJ).

I'm just wondering if it's possible, when sanding between coats, to give the surface a little spray with water to help stop the 400 grit sandpaper clogging up so quickly. Or is that a perfectly normal nuisance thing? The previous coats are certainly dry (24 hours) so it's not like the varnish part is still raw.

Cheers

[Arron]

I always wet sand between coats - not just a light spray but dipping the sandpaper in water. No apparent side effects, though I only do it after the first couple of coats and I'm confident the piece is sealed. My first 2 coats are usually nitro sanding sealer.

It might depend on the finish you are using.

And yes, its a perfectly normal nuisance thing for the medium to clog, thats why I wet sand.

[RedShirtGuy]

It's weird...I've always known to sand between coats but never ever has it been said that it can be done wet. Yet, when I've had a search around on the topic, it turns out that it's practically THE done thing.

The things you learn... :)

[Arron]

Another way to deal with the problem of sandpaper clogging up is to use steel wool or synthetic scouring pads for sanding between coats. Watch out for steel wool though, it will leave little bits of metal behind. The synthetic pads should be the very fine ones available from cleaning supply places.