# steel wool between stain coats?



## ebivremodel (Nov 15, 2010)

I have a ton of Birch plywood to stain "Bombay Mahogany" for a custom closet. I built some mock ups for stain samples...I'm using Minwax Polyshades high gloss stain and poly all rolled into one. I used steel wool between coats, but what a pain in the butt using steel wool. Can anybody recommend a grit of sandpaper or screen to use between coat instead of Steel Wool?


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Use a maroon Scotchbrite pad. Or if you have access to Mirka abrasives use their 'Mirlon Total' pad, again, maroon. The Mirlon is a cross between a Scotchbrite and sandpaper. Looks like a Scotchbrite pad but has abrasives on the fibers.

Oh, and good luck with keeping the striping down using the PolyShades, I hate that stuff.


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

I never use steel wool. It can leave or embed iron in the wood.

Use scrubbing pads. Available at your local paint store or even the food stores sell them.

There are different ones available from very fine to coarse.


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

ebivremodel said:


> I have a ton of Birch plywood to stain "Bombay Mahogany" for a custom closet. I built some mock ups for stain samples...I'm using Minwax Polyshades high gloss stain and poly all rolled into one. I used steel wool between coats, but what a pain in the butt using steel wool. Can anybody recommend a grit of sandpaper or screen to use between coat instead of Steel Wool?


 
Polyshades? ReallY?? I always thought of that as DIY junk, sorry.

If you're having to sand to pick up nibs as well as scuff the finish, 220 or 320 paper should work fine. If you only have to scuff the finish for adhesion, try a 3M Scotchpad, green or grey. In either case, use a tack cloth after sanding.

I see Leo goes with a slightly coarser 3M pad.


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## ebivremodel (Nov 15, 2010)

Gough said:


> Polyshades? ReallY?? I always thought of that as DIY junk, sorry.
> 
> If you're having to sand to pick up nibs as well as scuff the finish, 220 or 320 paper should work fine. If you only have to scuff the finish for adhesion, try a 3M Scotchpad, green or grey. In either case, use a tack cloth after sanding.
> 
> I see Leo goes with a slightly coarser 3M pad.


Yep, Its garbage, but thats what my customer wants!


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## ebivremodel (Nov 15, 2010)

*Polyshades...*



Leo G said:


> Use a maroon Scotchbrite pad. Or if you have access to Mirka abrasives use their 'Mirlon Total' pad, again, maroon. The Mirlon is a cross between a Scotchbrite and sandpaper. Looks like a Scotchbrite pad but has abrasives on the fibers.
> 
> Oh, and good luck with keeping the striping down using the PolyShades, I hate that stuff.


Yes I hate it also, but my customer has used it before and has specified it. I usually use Zar from Porter, but ...they are making the call.
Two coats and its done.


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

Leo G said:


> Oh, and good luck with keeping the striping down using the PolyShades, I hate that stuff.


 This makes a huge different when you make the switch from a little sample to a sheet of ply. I think it's nearly impossible on larger pieces. I had some success with POS one time, where I had to tone some big pieces very quickly. I used an HVLP and made numerous fogging passes.


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

A small job I'm doing off hours for a client is to refinish two mahogany desks.

Almost finished strippin them. Then stain and apply finish with rag.

Here's how I make my own stain - Turpentine and artist pigment. In this case I'm using burnt amber colour. Takes a bit to mix it into the turps, but you get to control how dark it is and it's cheap.

Just thought I'd share :clap:


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

katoman said:


> A small job I'm doing off hours for a client is to refinish two mahogany desks.
> 
> Almost finished strippin them. Then stain and apply finish with rag.
> 
> ...


Kato

Maybe it's one of those color/colour, gutter/eavestrough, electricity/hydro things, but isn't it burnt "umber"??:jester:


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## ebivremodel (Nov 15, 2010)

Picked up my Sia pads at Fastenal today. They work great! Thanks for the help guys!


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## katoman (Apr 26, 2009)

Gough said:


> Kato
> 
> Maybe it's one of those color/colour, gutter/eavestrough, electricity/hydro things, but isn't it burnt "umber"??:jester:


You're correct, it is umber. 

Whatever, it works great. Leaned that little trick from an old school furniture refinisher.

I teach, you pay.


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

katoman said:


> You're correct, it is umber.
> 
> Whatever, it works great. Leaned that little trick from an old school furniture refinisher.
> 
> I teach, you pay.


I normally keep tubes of raw sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, and burnt umber on hand for just that reason. Some combination of those will generally take care of most regular wood-coloring tasks. I've also used them to tint Danish oil as well.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

*More Tips*

People mistakenly use steel wool pads they way they come- as a pad. Unroll the pad first, and either use it unrolled or fold it over once - it will cover your whole hand. The rub down goes much faster, and you use less steel wool. The same thing applies to brass wool, which can't leave brown rust stains. 

Artist pigments and turpentine dry slowest, faster is pigment in mineral spirits. A traditional stain / sealer is artist pigment and boiled linseed oil thinned with turpentine or mineral spirits- put on, let set for some minutes, and wipe off. This is also the safest way to use the Polyshades product on a first coat- like a sealer stain. Feel free to thin it with mineral spirits.

The polyshades one step stain and finish is a very useable product as long as it isn't used to actually stain the wood. Either seal the wood (I use shellac for this, since it dries fast, but urethane works too) and use the polyshades to give top color, or stain and seal the wood, and use polyshades top coats to deepen and modify the color. That how I quickly and easily make luan plywood look like real mahogany.


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Steel wool or 600 Grit "Tuf Back" (wet-dry) is your BEST bet for a perfect finish.

But... 

There exists the "Residual Factor" as spoken of in previous posts.


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## MALCO.New.York (Feb 27, 2008)

Gough said:


> I normally keep tubes of raw sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, and burnt umber on hand for just that reason. Some combination of those will generally take care of most regular wood-coloring tasks. I've also used them to tint Danish oil as well.


You just said some key words associated with MY upbringing!


http://www.isabeloneil.org/overview.htm

That is My Mothers work on the front page!


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Don't use steel wool, use the new synthetics and you will never have to worry about rust.


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

rust never sleeps:thumbsup:


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## professionalJ (Feb 26, 2012)

220, light sand then wipe with tack cloth


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## jkfox624 (Jun 20, 2009)

Gough said:


> I normally keep tubes of raw sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, and burnt umber on hand for just that reason. Some combination of those will generally take care of most regular wood-coloring tasks. I've also used them to tint Danish oil as well.


Hmm great idea guys never really thought of doing that. Nothing i hate more trying to match stain on 20 year old wood is standing at the flip chart of stain colors trying to guess which ones will be kind of close to start with. And 99 times out of 100 they never look like they do on the sample.


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## Paintedlady101 (Feb 26, 2011)

My God , steel wool really "......... 600 grit and a tack cloth, smooth as silk !!!


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