Gel Varnish
The (almost) perfect compromise. Most woodworkers do their finishing with one of two wipe-on/wipe-off finishes: oil/varnish blend or wiping varnish. Oil/varnish blend is a thinned mixture of boiled linseed oil…
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Finishing Problems
Revive or Restore a Finish?
Discover how (and when) to give old, deteriorated finishes new life. As finishes age, they deteriorate. First they dull, then they begin showing small cracks (called “crazing”). The culprit of…
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Sticky Finish Mystery
A newly-installed oak floor with oil-based polyurethane wouldn’t dry after five days. What was the problem? Bob Flexner explains.
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Re-Usable Tack Cloth
Micro fiber cloth picks up tiny dust particles as well as, if not better than, a tack cloth. Unlike a tack cloth, micro fiber cloths are washable and reusable. Rockler sells Norton’s micro fiber finishing cloth for $15, but any …
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Shellac: A Challenging Finish
This traditional finish can be tricky to apply. If you have read much in the woodworking press, you’ve surely encountered many articles, including mine, in which the writer uses and recommends shellac as a finish. This may persuade you …
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Eye-Catching Finishes for Small Projects
Take a walk on the wild side of finishing. I’ve got six good reasons to skip the stain and polyurethane on your next small project: bleached, blended, charred, marbled, salt and pepper, and iron and vinegar each name beautiful finishes …
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