Papper towel v cloth

[Rum Pig]

Hi all

On the weekend I turn a bowl and few bits and pieces but I have been having trouble with my finish:((
I use Shellawax :) with paper towel but when I apply my second coat I have been getting lumps in the finish and no matter how much I tried I could not get rid of them except scraping them off. At first I thought it was my technique but now I think it is the paper towel fibbers impregnating the wax to form these lumps.
Has anyone had this trouble before??
Is it the quality of the towel if so what is the best towel to use??

[Grumpy John]

Hi RP,
I've only ever used old Tee shirt materiel and ONLY white, used a black one once and it put a blackish stain all over the bowl. It was so bad that I had to sand it back with 80 grit and start again.

[Gil Jones]

Hello RP,
My first thought was that just maybe you may be applying a bit too much Shellawax. When I first started using Shellawax I found that a little goes a very long way, and too much makes a mess.
Secondly, I do not have any trouble using paper towel to apply Shellawax, or any other finish.
Thirdly, while the paper will tear off and let go of you, if you ever get a piece of cloth tangled in the turning wood (or in a chuck) with it wrapped around your finger....well, it could easily wind your hand or arm around the spinning parts, and ruin your whole day. Could also rip off that finger.
Play safe...

[rsser]

When all else fails, read the instructions ;-}

And there's a prob solver page on the ubeaut website.

[Ed Reiss]

Hi Rum Pig...

Like Gil, I haven't had any trouble using paper towels applying finishes although different brands have different rag content to them. I've found that the cheaper brands have a higher rag content, thus they will mix with the finish and you'll wind up with some surface pilling.

I use Bounty brand paper towels...if you don't have that particular brand in OZ you might have to do some trial and error on different brands.

Good luck:U

[Grumpy John]

For General Application

With the lathe stopped. Use a clean soft rag to quickly and evenly apply a thin coat of the Shellawax Cream to the work (the best rag to use is old flannelette sheeting or clean white T-shirt material). Turn the lathe on and with the cream moistened portion of the rag apply a steady heavy pressure to the work whilst slowly moving the rag over the entire piece. This heavy pressure is required to burn the Cream into the surface of the timber and and create the friction to make the polish shine like you have never seen before.

Straight from the horses mouth

[tea lady]

Hi all

On the weekend I turn a bowl and few bits and pieces but I have been having trouble with my finish:((
I use Shellawax :) with paper towel but when I apply my second coat I have been getting lumps in the finish and no matter how much I tried I could not get rid of them except scraping them off. At first I thought it was my technique but now I think it is the paper towel fibbers impregnating the wax to form these lumps.
Has anyone had this trouble before??
Is it the quality of the towel if so what is the best towel to use??

:hmm: I don't think you need to be applying a second coat. You do with Hard Burnishing oil and WOP, but you only need one coat of Shellawax.:cool:

[TTIT]

:hmm: I don't think you need to be applying a second coat. You do with Hard Burnishing oil and WOP, but you only need one coat of Shellawax.:cool:Don't mean to be argumentative but a second coat gives a much longer lasting finish - on some timbers a single coat gets 'absorbed' before long. However, the 2nd coat should be a VERY thin coat.

[Rum Pig]

Thanks to all that have replied.


<TABLE class=tborder style="BORDER-TOP- 0px" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR title="Post 819054" vAlign=top><TD class=alt2 align=middle width=125>Gil Jones</TD><TD class=alt1>........ the paper will tear off and let go of you, if you ever get a piece of cloth tangled in the turning wood (or in a chuck) with it wrapped around your finger....well, it could easily wind your hand or arm around the spinning parts, and ruin your whole day. Could also rip off that finger.
Play safe...
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Gil that is the reason I swap from rags to paper towel a friend of a friend apparently had his finger taken of while using a rag. After I heard that (true or not) I decided to swap.


<TABLE class=tborder style="BORDER-TOP- 0px" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR title="Post 819101" vAlign=top><TD class=alt2 align=middle width=125>rsser</TD><TD class=alt1>When all else fails, read the instructions ;-}

And there's a prob solver page on the ubeaut website.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I did not know about the problem solver page. After reading that I think I might be using the wrong stuff might have to try the Shallawax cream.

TL
I have always put two or even three coats on I do not know why I guess that it will last a bit longer?

So I will buy some cream and if that dose not solve the problem then I will take some photos so you can see what I'm on about. Thankyou

[tea lady]

Another idea is that you need to make a pad kinda like a french polishers rubber thingy. It helps you get enough pressure on the wood, and builds up more heat before your fingers get to hot. (Don't have any dangely bits of string to get caught. ) the heat helps it be more slippery for polishing.

[TTIT]

Another idea is that you need to make a pad kinda like a french polishers rubber thingy. It helps you get enough pressure on the wood, and builds up more heat before your fingers get to hot. (Don't have any dangely bits of string to get caught. ) the heat helps it be more slippery for polishing.Just so you know I'm not always argumentative, I always use the 'pad' technique myself. Folded chunks of old flanny sheets about 5" square folded down to about 2" x 1".:2tsup:

[hughie]

Yep, pads are the way to go. Pain is not my friend...:U

I use a industrial type version of the chux cleaner as it will tear of into nice long narrow pieces ideal for folding into a small pad

[Wayne Blanch]

Just so you know I'm not always argumentative, I always use the 'pad' technique myself. Folded chunks of old flanny sheets about 5" square folded down to about 2" x 1".:2tsup:

I have go to agree with you, I have a lasting attachment to my fingers and use the "Pad" technique too. I have never had a problem with it.

Regarding the material to use, I have tried lots of different materials and I personally find the best to be flannelet sheets. (Boy am I glad that SWMBO refuses to come into the shed or she may discover why she has to get new sheets each winter.:D)

[Harry72]

I use cheap chamios's that you buy from snake oil salesmen at shows... cut them up into 2" squares.

[jefferson]

I think the main problem here is that some (most) blokes (me) fail to read the instructions.

I did so on my last two projects, one a finishing job on a bowl with a Ubeaut finish, the other on my 2 stage dusty (no instructions attached, other than a diagram).

Moral of the story is not to follow your instincts (like when you run from a charging lion) and follow the instructions.

My mate came out to my shed today and hard burnished a table top with burnishing oil..... Came up very nice. As per instructions.

Jeff

[bookend]

My first thought was that just maybe you may be applying a bit too much Shellawax.

This is my first thought too. The only times I've had trouble with lumps, I've put too much shellawax on. Rather than polishing the wax into the surface, the paper towel scrapes the excess wax off into lumps and then drops it back onto the surface every now and then.

When first applying the wax, put a tiny dab onto the paper towel and spread it over the workpiece. If you need to, dab again. If you have put too much on (ie you can see that the wax has a yellowy/ white colour) in any spot, try to remove the thick spot before polishing the wax in.

This should see you right.

[ss_11000]

A lint free cloth is best to apply shellawax :)

[Rum Pig]

Bookend

This is the way I have applied Shallawax
1 fold paper towel into quarters
2 soak end of paper towel in Shallawax
3 rub into piece with lathe turned off
4 turn lathe on and even out Shallawax with the same paper towel
5 use fresh paper towel to bring out shine
When I put me second coat on I do exactly the same but this were I run into problems. I read the info on Shallawax web page and they said Shallawax if for items up to 50mm my last bowl must have been 100mm and the one before that close to 300mm so there recommendation is to use Shallawax cream so I will try that and might experiment with the pad idea and others that have been suggested.

[Harry72]

I put it on with the lathe going at 100~200rpm then crank it up to burnish it on.

[ss_11000]

Bookend

This is the way I have applied Shallawax
1 fold paper towel into quarters use a cloth and have at least 3 layers between your fingers and the timber
2 soak end of paper towel in Shallawax use only a small amount - a little goes along way. dont soak it!
3 rub into piece with lathe turned off :2tsup:
4 turn lathe on and even out Shallawax with the same paper towel :2tsup:
5 use fresh paper towel to bring out shine use the same cloth and the same spot. the shellawax on the cloth should be hardish towards the end because of the amount of heat applied to it from the friction.
.
cheers:cool:

[bookend]

My apologies Rum Pig. I was talking about the cream.

You can still get the same problems with the cream. Spread the cream thinly. Try only dipping about a centimetre of the corner of the towel into the cream. Even this can be too much depending on the size of the piece. When you have applied it but have't burnished it in, it should look like wet wood. If there are lumps or ridges, you have the potential for a mess by the time you have finished.

Stirlo has given good advice. Follow his point 5 in particular but if using a paper towel, I'd fold it into more than quarters. Fold it one more time and when burnishing it, speed the lathe up and press against the timber until the paper towel starts getting too hot for your fingers and start moving it across the piece, keeping that burning feeling!

[Rum Pig]

The main reason I use a fresh bit of paper towel is that the first piece brakes down and and I'm left with a hole:-. I will try and get out to the shed tonight and take some photos ( if swmbo allows) and then you may have a better idea. I'm thinking I might go back to rags ?????

[Grumpy John]

The main reason I use a fresh bit of paper towel is that the first piece brakes down and and I'm left with a hole. This is why you use rags :)

I'm thinking I might go back to rags ????? Good idea :)


If you fold the rag over until it's about 4-6 layers thick and don't wrap it around your fingers it's quite safe to use. Also the rag is re-useable, but remember to only use white rag.
Whichever way you decide good luck, nothing worse than all the hard work being let down by a lousy polish job.

[Rum Pig]

OK I made a bowl the same size and timber as the last bowl I had trouble with but this time I used a rag rather than paper towel every thing else was the same and I had no problem with the polish (4 coats). So I have to assume that it was something to do with the paper towel.