minwax wipe on poly

[mattym83]

just wondered if there are any tricks to using wipe on poly?
can u stain underneath it?
can u get a nice thick even coat easily?
will it leave brush or swirl marks from being rubbed in?
does it discolor timber at all? or will it be similar to looking at the timber wet....does it have a slight tint to it
thanks
matt

[spokeshave]

I've used Wipe-on over stain's, sanding sealers, grain fillers and had no drama's. It's my finish of choice on most of my pieces. It has left a golden tinge to some of the work i've done but not to its detriment.

I dont use a brush to apply it but prefer a lint free cloth folded a couple of times. Being thin, i believe the best approach is to treat it like french polishing, 4 or more thin coats being better than 2 thick ones. I usually rub between coats with either oooo steel wool or lightly with 1200 wet & dry by hand, then finish with a wax.

It has a limited shelf life after the tin is opened, going thicker with time. I find it lasts a bit longer if i decant a small amount into another container (usually a plastic 'chinese takaway' one) then closing the lid until more is needed.

Overall i think its the duck's guts, although it's only negative is it may be a touch fragile in high use areas like table tops.

Hope this helps.

Steven.

[Chipman]

Like spokeshave said... I tend to give a wetter coat (slightly heavier ) for the last coat and if you have a good lint free cloth (usually old singlet) you never see any marks whatsoever.
I have found it is best to leave the first coat to dry over night but subsequent coats dry a lot faster (faster in warmer weather obviously)
Regards,

Chipman

[RufflyRustic]

thick coats can take up to 24 hours to dry whereas a light coat will take on average 3 hours to dry.

You can get Clear Minimax wipe on poly. I got some in clear Satin - beautiful!

oh and my big hint - don't put finish on a project, lay t to one side and then continue sanding another project

cheers
Wendy

[mattym83]

is it really to fragile for table tops as that is what i bought it for.
is it neccesary to use a sanding sealer first?

[Chipman]

Once it hardens up (like all lacquers and polys) it is fine. Much of my furniture ( table and chairs, chest of draws, change table, book cases, beds, entertainment units and boxes etc) is pine and the timber will dent but the poly stands up to normal wear and tear just fine. I have also used it on makore and silky oak furniture

. Sanding sealer.... depends on the wood and the type of finish you want. For example on pine, I have never bothered. With silky oak, you could use sanding sealer but I have found that 4 or so coats fills the surface anyway. If you are using an open grain timber eg red cedar, I would use a sanding sealer and possibly a filler as well. Meranti certainly needs a filler to get a flat surface. This is just my way, others are likely to do differently so see what others say and then choose what you want to do.

Remember, poly sets with each coat applied, so you should sand between coats to key the next layer in and if it is sanded flat, then the pores of the surface are filled anyway.


Regards,

Chipman