Applying HBO finish before gluing

[themage21]

Hi All,

I've got a project going that's got me thinking hard about when it would be best to apply the finish to some of the more complex pieces.

Due to it's ability to be patch repaired, plus the patina that the finish provides, I'm currently running along the HBO path, however it does present a minor issue - the need to be wet sanded, preferably with a ROS. While this will work on about 90% of the surfaces on the project, there are some reasonably obvious areas where I simply cannot get the ROS into position once the piece has been glued together (or at least not until I can save up for a much smaller one than the 150mm I've got now, even then it'll be a squeeze)

So, I'm hatching a hair-brained scheme to apply the HBO to all the difficult pieces, finish them to the desired shine, then assemble everything together afterwards (with padded clamps). The glue I'm using is Titebond III (I need the additional working time over Titebond II during assembly). I'm expecting that I may have to re-touch where the clamping faces have held, but those areas are all very accessible, so I'm not overly concerned about that.

The gluing surfaces are all mortise and tenon joints, so I'm thinking that I should be able to stuff each hole with a bit of rag and then some masking tape to prevent the oil from contaminating the motises. The tenons I'll just cocoon in masking tape.

When gluing, though, I am thinking I'll have to use some ultra-weak tape (as in near to most useless masking tape I can find) and mask off the potential squeeze-out areas so that I don't have issues with drips and drops all over the finish.

So, second opinions? Alternate theories?

Note that for alternate finishing option suggestions, I need to have something reasonably hard wearing, repairable for minor to middling damage without a full strip down of the piece and providing something like a matt-satin finish.

[A Duke]

Hi,
Glue squeeze out is usually not a big problem on pre-finished work as most glues do not stick to most finishes. Note I don't say all i.e. no guarantee.
Regards

[LGS]

Hi themage21,

I'm building a dovetailed box at the moment and the approach I take is to finish before routing. The HBO is extremely resilient when done right and won't be chipped or damaged in the normal scheme of things.
I also finish most other projects before assembling and haven't had problems yet (6 years). I would have a wet cloth nearby when you assemble, though, to wipe off any glue drips that form. HBO is very water resistant, so you won't damage the finish with water wipes.
If you allow the finish a couple of days to cure before assembling, even if drips do form at the joints, you wan't do any harm removing them carefully with a scraper. The drips will not be stuck to the oil.
Hope this helps,

Regards,

Rob

[themage21]

Duke, LGS - thanks for the info, reassures me that I'm following the right path!

[antiphile]

Both Hugh and the Evil Savant (oops, I mean Rob) are very experienced and extremely talented; you are very wise taking their sage advice.

I would just add one thing. As long as you leave the HBO for about a week to fully dry, I suggest you also carefully put a light coating of some sort of wax on the adjacent areas where you don't want the glue to stick. This was a suggestion from AlexS a while ago, and it is one that has saved my bacon many times since. I now routinely use a light coat of cabinet maker's wax or carnauba wax or similar to protect surrounding areas when I use glue, and I no longer dread it. Any excess is very easily removed (flicked off) and I don't do any damage when I use too much glue.

All the best
Phil

[themage21]

Thanks for the additional tip Phil, I'll try the process on a small side project I'm using to test the process first and see if the HBO rejects the glue well enough for my purposes or if the wax is warranted. Either way, I've got a second line of defense for my major project organised if the glue and HBO decide to become good friends.