Here's a question from Volume 5 - Issue #1 issue of RodMaker magazine:
After your recent articles on turning reel seat inserts I have started
doing just that. I am getting pretty good result but my wood finishing
skills are obviously not very good. I use the Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil
since I have heard so many people say good things about it, but cannot
get the glass-like sheen and shine I see on other's work. I still seem to
have sanding swirls and open grain in my finished pieces. Any tips for
this budding insert maker? Rodney, Flagstaff, AZ
Certainly. First off, I know many people like to do all their sanding
and finishing right on the lathe. It's quick and easy and the lathe
does most of the work. But no matter how progressive your sanding
sequence is, and no matter how fine the grades of paper you work
through, you will always have concentric sanding lines in the finished
piece if you do it that way. You may have to hold the piece in a
certain light, or at a certain angle, but those sanding lines will be
in there. Ask any top notch wood turner and he'll tell you the same
thing.
Those concentric sanding lines bother me, too. So I do things the hard
way. First, with a sharp cutting tool and decent technique, not much
sanding should be required. Once I have the insert turned, I remove
it from the lathe and sand with the grain. I normally have a nice
surface finish and thus can start with 400 grit on a sanding block
(always back your paper with a sanding block or you will round over
the edges of the insert to a very noticeable degree). It shouldn't
take much sanding if you are starting with a good surface. If not,
you may have to start with something more like 320 grit and progress
to the 400. Sand lightly, but thoroughly. That will take care of
your concentric sanding marks - there won't be any, in any direction,
if you sand with the grain.
Next, you are going to have to do some more hand work. Between
applications of the Tru-Oil (A wiping varnish which is an outstanding
finish for seat inserts) you want to let it dry for several hours and
then again sand with the grain using 400 to 600 grit paper until
you are pretty much down to the bare wood again.
Why put the finish on if you're just going to sand it off again
you ask? Well, unless you are working with an extremely tight
grained wood, you have open pores and grain lines that you need
to fill and raise to the rest of the wood's surface. I know
the manufacturer recommends hitting the piece with some steel
wool in between applications, but that will never level the
surface to the degree you need if you really want that mirror
sheen.
Continue the process - apply finish, let dry, sand to the work
surface, dust off and repeat - until the surface is perfectly
level. You will know when this happens as you will no longer
have little shiny "specks" or "lines". Once the surface of
the insert is perfectly smooth and level, give it another
application of the Tru-Oil and let dry. Then lightly
give it the steel wool treatment and apply one more app
of the Tru-Oil. But the way, I have gotten my results with
the Tru-Oil by applying it to a piece of cheesecloth and
"wiping" on the wood in the direction of the grain. A couple
of quick passes with the wetted cloth will do it.
I know this is more work than the quick finishing on the lathe,
and many lathe finished pieces look pretty darn good. But
if you will take the time to carefully sand and finish in this
manner you will get stunning results that you will not get
with any other external finishing means. ~ Tom Kirkman
Publishers note:
If you have any tips or techniques, send them
along! Help out your fellow rodmakers!
~ Publisher, FAOL
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