MM issues

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schellfarms

Member
Joined
May 28, 2006
Messages
109
Location
Holly Springs, Mississippi, USA.
I have a pen i'm working on that's gabon ebony. I sanded it and applied Minwax hi gloss wipe on poly, as I want a very glossy finsh. I sanded the pen to my satisfaction and applied the poly and let it dry 2 days. When I hit it with the MM, it looked like the finish "bubbled" for lack of a better term. It just looked like it lifted the finsh in a couple spots. I sanded down to bare wood, dried overnite again under a pair of lamps to make sure the room temp was ok. MM again--same problem. So went on to gloss compound (came with MM)step to see if that would fix. Terrible!! It looked hazy all over & the cloth that came with the MM left lint everywehere. So, back to bare wood, poly. Drying now. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong--the stuff seems simple enough to use, but I seem to be making a mess. Any ideas????
 
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The problem is not with the MM, after all it is only sandpaper.

It could be several other things, but I think you didn't let the poly cure long enough. I would wait at least a week.

As a side note, poly is not typically a finish that is rubbed out (sanded) after applying. It can be rubbed out, but usually to soften the sheen, not heighten it. Said another way, it is very difficult to rub out a poly finish to a high gloss. If you are not satified with the smoothness of the finish and feel the need to sand it, you might want to switch to either lacquer or shellac which rub out to a high gloss very nicely.

jeff
 
I have found in other forms of woodworking if you are going to rub out polys or lacquer to get rid of minor imperfections and weather using MM or sandpaper the best thing is to use a liquid carrier. I like to use an oil such as Formbys lemon oil. Works great.
 
Switch to lacquer and let it dry at least a week, THEN you can MM. If you're in a hurry learn to do a CA finish. Even CA I let cure overnight before I sand it. There's no free lunch when it comes to finishing, it's a "process" that needs to be followed.
 
Originally posted by schellfarms

Can you describe the process of rubbing out? I just want to remove any dust nibs, or anything that has landed on it and then apply several coats to get a build.
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YOUR "Dust Nibs" are not the the fault of the finish, you need to apply it in a dust free environment, or get it into a dust box immediately to allow it to dry. Pevious comment was dead on accurate, you do not polish or buff out Poly.
 
Is the ebony considered one of the exotic/oil woods?? I did that with a cocobolo bottle stopper with spray-on poly, first lite coat dried good enough to attempt to do second, so I lightly sanded, sprayed 2 coat, A WEEK LATER it was still tacky!! It must be the wood!! I took off the poly with mineral spirits then refinished with the hut stick, carnuba, then the ren-wax, everything was ok!!! looked great!!

Ronnie
 
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