Best way to get that beautiful gloss finish on resin and wood turned pieces.

[Breck Whitworth]

Hi ladies and gentlemen,
As always I am only interested in answers from people who actually have experience with the area of my question. I have learned over the many years that I have been a woodturner that there are as many ways to do the same thing as there are people. But what I am looking for is the finish that works the best for you. The sanding, the abrasive pastes, buffing I've got a good handle on that , I think. What confuses me is some use a sealer, other no. Some use a specific oil finish before buffing, that is what I am interested in. The plastic polishes work fine for resin I've read but not for wood. Some use OB shine juice, I just need to hear from some of you so I can quit researching and get to it. Thanks so much for these threads, over the years I have learned so much from my fellow turners!!!

 

[Tim Tucker]

Breck -
The highest gloss system I have put together yet is the following:

1. Sand up to 3000 grit
2. Blow and wipe piece clean.
3. 3 coats of sanding sealer aerosol. I use various brands - all have seemed to work fine.
4. sand @ 2000, then 3000. Blow and wipe clean
5. 3 coats of high gloss lacquer aerosol - again, various brands have worked fine
6. Use the 6 step polishing system from Stadium Pen Blanks called - Magic Juice. This is a polishing compound in 6 gradients. Used by pen turners for maximizing the shine.
Allow adequate time between stacking the coats of sealer and lacquer so that your sanding paper does not clog up quickly.

 

[Clifton C]

I like lacquer for high gloss. Tim has written a good "recipe". I use a slightly different sanding schedule and I use Meguiars Mirror Glaze polishing compounds for the final polishing. (ultra-cut, fine cut cleaner, swirl remover, show car glaze) The "solids" content of the lacquer has a lot to do with how many coats are needed to level a finish.
I use sanding sealer, to me, it makes a difference. I usually use two coats of sealer, but sometimes three. Letting each coat of lacquer dry or cure for a few days or more is another key to a mirror like finish. I have used lacquer thinned 50/50 as a sanding sealer but didn't get the results I wanted.
It is interesting, when showing a group how to sand, using the same sandpaper, same wood, one person ends up burnishing the wood, the other sands it. When sanding a finish, the same thing happens, one person ends up with pills (corn) on the paper, the other dust. I tell people they have to listen and feel what's happening, not just go thru the motions... And... now I'm in the weeds...

 

[Bill Blasic]

Here is a link to a video by Steve Sinner whose gloss finishes are about as perfect as one can get.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVQEJf7KkoQ

 

[Tim Tucker]

Bill-
I like and admire Steve's work, a lot. Having said that....poly is more difficult to work with. It is picky - partially because finding it fresh is not always easy. And - it is wasteful because as Steve says in his video - you wind up throwing out a good portion of it before it can be used up as it begins going bad from the time it is opened.
So, I have become a fan of the ease and simplicity of rattle can lacquers.

Cliffton -
to your point about solids content....I do like Mohawk high solids sanding sealer when I can get it. And wood species dependent, I have done 1 coat of it, then proceeded wit the following steps outlined in my prior post. And the 6 step process from Stadium pen it something special - I think of it as I do sanding...no skipped grits. If my photography was better - the bowl I have pics of would give you a better idea of the "dipped in glass" kind of shine. It is rare for me to want something that shiny and "plastic" looking....but on certain pieces of wood....it just seems to work. And - you are right....REALLY allowing the lacquer to not only dry - but cure out is the only way to achieve a near flawless finish.

 

[Richard Coers]

Preparation, preparation, preparation!!! The final gloss clear coats are the easy part. Wood species makes a huge difference, but supreme sanding and base coat layers make the finish. I'm not going to give a material list as you have gotten help on that. But I will say I use more base coats of filler/sealer than I do gloss lacquer. I have no idea on the longevity of clear finishes on resin. My personal feeling is that in 10 years there will be a super high percentage of cracked resin under clear coats. Fiberglass boat repair is a fine comparison. Resin doesn't last forever!

 

[Tim Tucker]

Richard-

Not all resins have the same "post-cure shrinkage" issues as those used in boat repair. The traditional boat building resins are polyester resins, and their more chemical resistant cousins - the vinyl esters. These have some of the higher post cure shrinkage which can lead to cracks and other failures. As well - because they continue to harden and become more brittle they suffer from failures. The activator for the ester materials is Benzoyl Peroxide and because you can vary the amount used to adjust for holder/colder conditions they can suffer more from exceeding the optimum amount to cure, which exacerbates the problems above.
Because epoxies have a fixed mix ratio, they are more predictable. But unless one choose a cyclo-aliphatic cured epoxy - the yellowing can be off-putting. And some of the newer methacrylate based resins offer water clear appearance that have great UV resistance, low to no odor...and some are even cured using a UV flashlight.

So, not all resins are created equal. Don't give up on them...just research little, and try different ones. I have a history in the use of various resins, if I can be of any help.
T

 

[John Tisdale]

Let me say up front that any critiques to the following will be appreciated.
I can think of two (2) ways to surface/finish wood:
1) Virgin Surface: the last coat of whatever material provides the sheen. Wax, penetrating oils, lacquers and the urethane Mr. Sinner uses have their own properties. Method of application is critical (as Mr. Sinner demonstrates)
2) Abraded Surface: The last coat is abraded/rubbed to a final appearance.
Most coating materials lend themselves to one or the other - lacquer and catalyzed urethanes would be exceptions.

To the subject of the post, there is no best way. My goal is a step or two down from "high gloss" - I prefer the term "high lustre".

Comment on sanding: On the first sanding we sand wood. After the first coat of any material is applied, from that point forward we're sanding the finishing material which is a whole new ballgame - different sanding material and different techniques are required.

 

[Clifton C]

John, that is a beautiful piece, and a beautiful finish. Do you consider that finish "high gloss" or High luster"?

 

[Breck Whitworth]

Gentlemen thank you very much for all of your answers, I have learned what I need to give it a go. I have another question that probably should be in a different post but my California pressure pot Finally came in after waiting 6 months for it to arrive. Go figure. My question is when curing say Aluminite clear cast how long do you leave it in the pressure pot and is about 60lbs. of the 80 it says you can use in it enough?

 

[John Tisdale]

John, that is a beautiful piece, and a beautiful finish. Do you consider that finish "high gloss" or High luster"?

Definitely "high luster/lustre". Before the final sanding regiment, the clear-coat surface is "High Gloss" or as some call it "wet look" - it's also solid orange-peel plus any dust that settled

1. I use a 3/32" dual-action pneumatic I bought over ten years ago from Bruce Hoover of Sanding Glove - the sander is only used to remove orange-peel (flatten) - 800-grit, silicon carbide, paper-back from Eagle. One, maybe two pieces needed for a 20-inch vessel like the one pictured
2. Then hand sand with 1200-grit --> 2000-grit --> 3000-grit Assilex available from turningwood.com. Silicon carbide is most efficient using light pressure - takes practice - one piece does the whole job - Assilex is hook-loop cloth back - I only do dry sanding
3. Then, with a 3* pneumatic buffer, I compound first with wool and then foam - DONE

I viewed the Steve Sinner video with amazement - I'm not only amazed with the technique but, also, with his clean shop. My shop and my finishing room are not nearly so pristine

 

[George Rousis]

Best gloss I have achieved on a wood bowl is sanding to 1000x, Deft sanding sealer, sand with 1000x, minimum 10 coats of Deft Gloss lacquer (wet sanding with 1000x every 2-3 coats), hand polishing with Meguiar's automotive polishing compounds (M105, M205, then M305) ), then non-silicone automotive wax.

On acrylic resin pens and utensils: wet sanding with Micromesh through 12000x, Renaissance Wax

 

[hughie]

Hmm I am not a lover of high gloss on my pieces, so perhaps my experience is not quite what you're after but it can be varied to suit. Its really quite simple, I use low sheen Poly Urethane and some times I may add a dash of matt, let it harden up this depends on local temps. Then I buff it with a cotton buff to the required shine level, its hard and permanent.

 

[Rusty Nesmith]

Gentlemen thank you very much for all of your answers, I have learned what I need to give it a go. I have another question that probably should be in a different post but my California pressure pot Finally came in after waiting 6 months for it to arrive. Go figure. My question is when curing say Aluminite clear cast how long do you leave it in the pressure pot and is about 60lbs. of the 80 it says you can use in it enough?

I leave it in over night. Sixty pounds will be plenty, I only run mine at 45 pounds.