Varnish wont blend in, thank you for your helps

[Michael.s]

Hey guys, I have just started a new hobby

ive recently trying create natural timber coasters, somehow at some stage something wont blend in and im guessing either the staining or the varnishing part.

the picture isnt very clear but there is that kinda a scratch marks all over the timber.

for this proccess I used p40, p80 and p120 grit sandpaper
cabot water based stain
monocel spray varnish satin

would anyone be able to tell me what’s wrong?


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[havabeer69]

almost looks like its not fully sanded flat.

[russ57]

Yeah, looks like it needs more sanding, perhaps even down to 180. Is the wood completely dry?

[Michael.s]

Hey guys,

thank you very much for your helps. I found it difficult to navigate the forum, I couldnt find the post i made from days ago and only today Ive got an email and a link to this post.

Anyway, i suspected so. So i went to Bunnings and got me a Ryobi 300W random orbital sander, it includes sand paper 60g, 100, 150, 180, 240.
Previously ive had some sand paper sheet and kinda did it manually by hand with those sand papers.

Onto questions about wood drying, Ive had this log about a week or so and i know it needed alot longer time to dry.
How long do you usually let dry a log before cutting? they're all about 12 - 15 cm in diameter.

Also, i find that logs that Ive cut from the previous logs tend to bend, and i press them flat with a brick.
Is that a sign that the log hasnt fully dried yet?

Last question, with the picture Ive taken before (first post), is it mainly because the sand papering proccess wasnt done properly, or if the wood hasnt fully dried yet and release bubbles onto the surface after I varnish ?

Thank you again!

[Michael.s]

Hey guys,

Im having difficulties navigating this post. This is the second time Im posting to this thread and I dont know where my first one went to haha.

Anyway, thank you very much for your helps, and i suspected it was because of sand paper.

I bought myself a Ryobi orbital random sander 300 W and it came with sand paper 60g, 100, 150, 180 and 240g - will be trying these sometime later today. originally I was sand papering those cut woods manually in circular motion.

I have more questions in regards to sand paper and wood drying:
1. Ive had this log cut and left it to dry for about a week or so, i know it needed months to do so. However, for a log around the diameter size of 12 - 15 cm, how long would you leave them for to dry?
2. Ive sliced those log into pieces previously and i find that these sliced log bend overnight, ive pressed them flat with a brick - is this a sign that the sliced log wasnt dried properly? if so, does this brick flatening method okay?
3. Related to the first picture (first post) are there any chance those tiny white patches (or dots) were created due to the fact that log may have not been fully dried ? or is it mainly the sanding isnt done properly?
Though when I varnish, those marks show up straight away, im suspecting its the sanding proccess that wasnt done great.

Thank you for your helps!

[wood spirit]

At LEAST 180 grit preferably finer!

[mature one]

yep the finer the sandpaper the better the finish. If timber is not dry you are not going to get a smooth finishes .The bending of the slices will bend depending on the wood some bends some doesn't. It is advisable to stack slices with some form of weight or banding to slow down bending, cupping etc. Some stack for two years or more depending on what you use the wood for.

[Michael.s]

Thank you for your feedbacks,

Turns out it was the sand paper part that i didnt do good. The orbital sand paper works best.