Help-Light Blotches in Finish

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steve542

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I have just moved up to making bigger items then pens and have been making some shaving brushes. Made and finished four of them in tulipwood and they came out great. I turned two in amboyna wood and finished one, it looks great. I started to sand and finish the final amboyna wood brush handle. After the sanding thru five grades of paper I put on some EEE-ultrashine before applying final finish and there were now some small whitish blotchy marks on the surface. I resanding again and the marks are still there! Any ideas would be welcome.
 
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A shot in the dark, but I would suspect some of the waxes in the EEE (which is nothing more than tripoli power combined with a lubricant... ie, a wax).


Try cleaning the piece off entirely with acetone or lacquer thinner. Look closely and tell us if what you see looks more like

1) Wood has been discolored
2) There is white stuff stuck in the wood


Also, what was the final finish?

Lastly, skip the EEE next time and buy some Micromesh. It's LIGHT YEARS more effective.
 
I have had problems like this when using CA finish. I suspect moisture is the cause or like Red suggested, a build up of some material in the grain.
 
The common cause for a cloudy finish or white spots under any finish is moisture condensation under the finish. Sometimes it will disappear with time, most of the time it is permanent.

That moisture can be from too high a moisture content in the wood, it can be carried into the wood with denatured alcohol (DNA), or it can be retained by any wax buildup that is in the wood grain. That EEE you are using contains alcohol.

However it got there, it has to evaporate BEFORE it is sealed in with the finish. The easiest solution is to let the blanks cool to room temperature before applying the finish. The turning and sanding will heat the wood and bring any moisture to the surface. Letting the wood cool will allow it to go back into the wood and stabilize.

Purchased wood is never as dry as we think it is. Wood that is in sealed plastic bags will never have a chance to dry. This is a bad time of the year for wood that is stored in damp and cold garage and basement work areas. Storing the wood under a box on top of the water heater for a month before turning it will insure that it is dry.
 
Like I said before, I have had the same problem. I think going forward I will take a heat gun/ hair drier to the wood before finishing it.
 
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