Academy Notes and Tips
MAY/JUNE
2002
Volume 45/Issue 3
IN
THIS ISSUE
Contest
Winners
•
First, Second and Third Place Winning Projects
Project
Articles
•
The Tall Bookcase
• The Folding Party Tray
• The Mug Holder Shelf and Baseball
Equipment Holder
DEPARTMENTS
•
Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
• Letters from Owners
Academy Notes
Finishing
Touches - Pt.5 Refinishing
Service Pointers
Lathe
Tailstock & Tool Rest Service Pointers
Safety Tips
Workshop
Fire Safety
What's
New
Hands-On
Timeless Classics Now Available on CD ROM
EDUCATION
• Find
A Shopsmith Woodworking Academy Near You
• National
Woodworking Academy in Dayton, OH
ONLINE
CATALOGS
• Online Accessory Catalog
• Request
Printed Accessory Catalog
• Online
Replacement Parts Catalog
MARK
V INFORMATION
• Find
A Shopsmith
MARK V Demo Near You
• Request
MARK V Information Package
LINKS
•
Links Worth Visiting
•
Free Woodworking
Tips
FEEDBACK
Contacting
Shopsmith
Copyright
2002.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
From
the Shopsmith Woodworking Academy
Finishing Touches
--
PART FIVE -- Refinishing
THE MECHANICAL
STRIPPING PROCESS
Once you've removed as much of the old finish as you can with chemicals,
you'll have to do some touch-up work mechanically. You'll need scrapers,
sandpaper, steel wool, perhaps a vibrating sander of some sort - and a
lot of muscle. Next to muscle, you'll find that the most useful tools
in this bunch are your scrapers.
They'll remove the leftover finish cleanly without biting deeply into
the wood. They're also much easier to control in this application than
abrasives.
Scrape your project as you would normally, stopping as soon as you begin to get wood curls. Remember that paint dulls tools quickly, so you'll have to stop to sharpen your scrapers often. Sand those areas that you can't reach with your scrapers. Start with a cheap, open coat, medium grit flint paper and work your way up, step-by-step to a fine grit garnet paper. Then go over your entire surface with steel wool or a plastic wool product.
If
you've used a caustic stripper and your grain's slightly raised, you may
want to lightly sand the entire project. Use a vibrating pad sander
and extra fine garnet paper. Avoid using belt sanders for this operation
- they remove far too much wood in a single pass. The only time you'll
find belt sanders useful in refinishing is when a project has been coated
and recoated many times. In these cases, a medium-coarse, open coat belt
will take off the finish faster and more economically than chemical strippers
alone. Be sure to clean your belt often with an abrasive
belt cleaner and be sure to stop sanding BEFORE you get down to the
wood.
Coming up in the July/August issue -- PART SIX -- Paints & Stains
