Finishing the finish...??

OK, to start with I am confused. I am a beginner and have learnt an awful lot of information from the informative posts on this forum but it's also done the opposite and confused me no end.

I am finishing a teak coffee table and I am using the satin Wipe on Poly with great results so far. But where the confusion lies is how to finish the finish?

The WOP is looking great but after each coat I can see there are some minor blemishes and swirl marks in the surface which appear to have come from the process of applying the last coat of WOP regardless of how careful I am.

I've spent days searching and reading the various posts and I'm getting a lot of conflicting information? Some people have said that I should use a combination of EEE and Traditional wax, just plain Traditional Wax, or even using a cut and polish from an auto shop??

I'm not after a mirror finish which is why I went for the sation WOP in the first place, but I'm needing some advice as to how to just clean up the finish? Appreciate any advice!

Anyone???

It sometimes takes a few days, especially after a woodworking show as we are too busy unwinding :D, to get an answer and I doubt that many would use the WOP. Also Neil is busy shifting to a new factory.

Earlier this year I restored an old pine dining table, which was stained and lacquered. Some parts of the top had been badly scratched so I had to sand the top to get it smooth.

I then applied a spirit stain to the damaged part to match and for a finish I used MinWax clear gloss wipe on poly.

I applied 7 coats over 7 days. Between each coat I gave it a light rub back with 0000 steel wool to remove any blemish in the coat and as a base for the next coat. After the 7 coats I was really happy with the shine so I finished it of with Ubeaut's traditional wax.

So I would first try a good rub down with steel wool and apply a few more coats with a light rubdown in between.

Or you could use some fine wet and dry sandpaper instead of steel wool for the first rubdown to remove the blemishes.

Peter.

Wipe on poly should be applied sparingly. Many thin coats rather than a few thick ones. You will need at least 5 coats for a good finish. Sand between coats with 0000 "steel" wool. Don' use ordinary steel wool as the steel fragments that lodge in the surface will cause rust bubbles later. A synthetic or non ferrus wool is the way to go. Remove all dust. Check the cloth you use to apply the WOP is totally lint free and of a fine weave. You may get better results making up a french polishing type pad. After the final coat has dried an application of wax would be optional.
Try different application techniques on a test piece first. Confidence is always a great assistant.

Norton do a white synthetic pad (available at your local Bunnies, etc.) that is claimed to be equivalent to 0000 steel wool.

I've used them, and have to agree that it is.....:D

Works nicely on WOP between coats, as suggested by others.

Thanks guys. I'll give that synthetic steel wool a shot.

As Sturdee says, a light rub back with 0000 pad is all you need. WOP is a pretty thin film, and too much elbow grease can easily cause you to go right through it.

How do I know this, you may ask..........? :B

So if I go for the 0000 steel wool over the synthetic, is cleaning up the same process? Is there anything else that I need to do to ensure there is no small metal fibres left behind?
Currently I'm dusting down then giving a light wipe with mineral spirits prior to applying the wipe on poly.

After the steel wool, go over the whole piece with a strong magnet. You'll be surprised at the amount of small steel fibres you pick up.

If you decide to go with the Synthetic Pads, we stock them and you can find them at our website, under the category "Bear-Tex Hand Pads".
Just to clarify, the White Pad doesn't have any abrasive in it, and Gold would be the finest with an abrasive in it.

You will not remove all the steelwool fibres with a dust and wipe over. The magnet test mentioned will prove that. Nor will the magnet remove all the steel fibres as some become imbedded in the surface. If you are not happy using a synthetic wool or other non ferrous wool, it would be better to stick with fine grade paper than use ordinary steel wool.
When we were apprentices, we tried to use steel wool, if we could get away with it,as it gave a quicker finish. If the bosses caught you, you'd get a kick up the sarsparella.

I use the synthetic 0000 pads for anything involving finishes these days - the real steel wool is reserved for de-rusting tools (in conjunction with a phosphoric acid-based product).

Will have to check out Mr Sandpaperman's offerings for the synthetic pads, as I'm sure he has something of better quality than the Norton ones I'm buying atm.