Visual Reminder to Stir

While finishing a project for Christmas, my quart of Arm-R-Seal Satin stopped having a tight fit.  I transferred the finish to a mason jar.  It was very well stirred at the time.  The next day, exactly 24 hours later, this is what the jar looked like:

Remember that non-gloss finishes have flatteners suspended in solution so they need to be stirred.  I knew that, but was surprised at how much separation happened in just 24 hours.  Honestly, after just 12 the division of layers was clearly obvious from a distance.  So remember to stir!

Now, I'm not sure what happened to the quart container and why the lid was no longer sealing tightly.  Might have had something to do with my mallet...

Sculpted Mahogany Vanity - Wet Sanding and Installation!

Just when you thought I forgot about it, I finished and installed the vanity :)

When I left off on the last episode, it was time for finishing.  I've always called it "middle-ing" because in the scheme of things, you're at about the midway point on a project when you start the finish so it takes time.  Lots of boring time :)

This episode is much longer than the normal episodes since it didn't seem like the 'phases' of the episode merited being on their own.  That said, make a bucket of popcorn!  I'd actually like to know your opinions on longer episodes.  I'd previously try to keep a podcast on a single step of the process (dimensioning, drawer runners, shaping, etc.) which made them nice digestible 15-minute episodes.  Are 30-minute episodes something that works for you or do you fall asleep and do a face-plant on the keyboard?

Anyway, back to the episode... in this episode, I start with wet sanding the surfaces.  If you haven't tried wet sanding a solvent-based finish like Seal-A-Cell, you're missing out especially on medium grain woods. You'll still have that "close to the wood" look, but the feel is glass smooth.  I wanted the sculpting and smoothness to invite people to feel the surfaces and so far, it has worked very very well.

Next is a bit of work on the top segment hopefully giving you ideas on how to cut out a drawer front from a piece in-situ.  With the sculpting, I didn't have the option of ripping a narrow slice off the top and gluing it back in order to cross-cut out the drawer front.  Nor did I really have that option before sculpting.

Lastly, the install.  You never realize how small your bathroom is until you have a tripod in there :)  I go over how the panels are attached and how the whole thing is attached to the wall.  The colors don't come through well at all on the video for lack of decent lighting so my apologies.  The granite looks fantastic on the top; it was a real slice from Hungary instead of the manufactured stuff that seems so common these days.

By now the popcorn is ready... cue it up!  And thanks for the patience getting through all these episodes!



To my email subscribers: surprisingly enough, Blogger's subscriber emails don't include the embedded video for you.  I say it is surprising since Google owns both Blogger and YouTube :)  That said, you don't see anything above this paragraph and need to visit my blog for the video link.  I think I have a solution for this problem and will try it out over the next couple videos.  Sorry 'bout that.

And it's done! wahoo! Banners fly; people cheer.  :)

Best Varnish Jars

I had some canning jars (Mason jars) laying around for who-knows-what reason.  I started using them for varnish and they are easily the best.  The wide-mouth pints (shown here) have easy access and the two-part lid seals very well (and trivial to add plastic wrap if you like).  The lid portion is sold separately so you can toss them when they get junked up beyond reason.

Varnishing Observations

Yesterday, I varnished a new shop hanging cabinet... something to do during blazing summer that isn't too picky if I make some mistakes due to sweat dripping off every part of me.

(It isn't done yet; hung, but the shelves are being assembled)


It was super humid yesterday and actually the several nights before. A friend thought I was nuts. Maybe, but this is why I knew it would work out well.

For the first coat, I was wiping on a thinned varnish/oil mixture (Tried & True). Since I'm putting it on very thin, it seems to me that the atmospheric humidity plays much less a role in its drying than the moisture content of the wood. I'm in Arizona so the moisture content of the wood is typically single digit. Even after humid days, the surface of the wood isn't appreciably more moist, at least not enough to affect how the varnish flows and sets up. Despite the humidity, the first coat went on well and setup with no tackiness after 6-7 hours. I could have recoated, but left it overnight.

Today, equally humid. Now, if I were to put on another oil/varnish coat, the humidity will play a role since the first coat sealed the wood (taking it out of the equation) so now it is just the atmosphere setting the second coat.

But I want a second coat cuz I'm tired of this thing taking bench space plus the pile of things to go into it is getting equally annoying.

For the second coat, I need something that will dry regardless the atmosphere so I put on a thin coat of Epifanes' Matte varnish. The matte sheen is what I want (don't like '70s high-gloss plastic oak) and it happens that Epifanes accomplishes that sheen by adding Japan dryers. Others may, too, but I know Epifanes matte will dry -really- fast.

I applied a 50/50 Epifanes/mineral spirits mix in a very thin rubbed on coat. Honestly, when I worked my way to the right and finished the right side, the left was already dry to the touch with no tackiness. Likely not set enough for sanding between coats, but this went on so well that I would only need a quick pass with a Scotch Brite.

Naturally 'dry' and 'cure' are different and this will continue to cure long after I hang it on the wall (it is garage furniture). But it is nice to know that you can get one oil-enriched coat of varnish followed by possibly several matte coats in a couple days regardless the humidity forecast. That's a nice change from the usual 1 coat/1 day-or-more schedule varnish usually entails.