Another Newbie

Ah...ok. So, too much pressure applied as I was sanding. Ok....good to know. Now, how to fix the issue? Re-sand down to bare wood again?

Hmm...ok. So, maybe swirls is not the correct term. They are those tell-tale little circles caused by the hand-sander. I have seen this happen on this type of soft wood before but I thought I smoothed it all over with actually rubbing it over with 220 grit by hand. Not sure if you can see it in the new closer picture. (I started with 80, 100, 120 and then 220) Thanks!

Ugh....those dreaded swirls in the wood from a hand sander. I sanded (electric sander) off the stain of a nice maple table and then sanded (by hand) with a piece of sandpaper to get rid of those swirls....but once I put on the stain...UGH! Those swirls are there. I'm attaching a picture of the top but it's not so viewable in the pict. Prior to staining I used a Varthane Wood conditioner. So, my question to anyone out there...how to fix this? Should I want till it cures and then hand sand it off (non-electric sanding)... Thanks for any help you can provide.

Awesome! I have my plan. I'll be sanding the second shelf down to (carefully). Thanks and I am really happy I found this forum as I always have questions! Thanks for your helpful advice! Rebecca

Ah ha! Thanks Chestnut. I had no idea that the middle was veneer. I am glad I didn't actually sand through it. It looks pretty clean. So, with your advice, I'll just apply the Tung oil as instructed. (without the conditioner). Shall I sand up to 220 prior? And what do you think about a poly on top of the tung oil once it's dry...or does this tung oil have poly?

THANKS for these replies. I'm not sure exactly what type of Mahogany this is. I'm attaching a picture to show you. As for the sanding...I've sanded pretty carefully so hopefully don't need a chemical stripper. The Tung oil I have is: Minwax Tung Oil Finish. So, I guess it contains poly? That's good, then that should be a good enough finish itself...as long as I do enough coats. THANKS, Rebecca

Hi, I have been doing some research on refinishing a mahogany side table. I have sanded it down (up to 120 grit) and am wanting to finish it with Tung Oil. I love the beautiful color and grain of the natural wood. Only, I have finished Mahogany before with stain and had gotten a blotchy effect - that with using a Wood conditioner first. Not sure what I did wrong but want to avoid this problem again. Shall I use a Wood conditioner before using the Tung oil? I have Varathane Pre-stain wood conditioner. Lastly, should I go up in sandpaper grain (to 220 or so?) (oh, and poly on top?) That's it! I'm new at this and have been figuring out things myself as I go along but have made mistakes in almost all of my projects. Not dealbrreakers, but I want do do this one right. Any help you can provide would be awesome. Thanks - Rebecca