Arm-R-Seal is awesome!

[treeslayer]

Menards Coop, and i think Tru Value hardware has them also

[Coop]

As we don't have Menards down here, I will give their website a visit. I just can't seem to get that wadded up rag into small box corners. I was thinking about mini-pads, but I could never quiet get to the register at Krogers with them? Thanks Dave

[estesbubba]

I use white rags in a box for wiping varnish. Fold it several times and make sure the edges aren't stiff or they'll leave streaks. 

[Eric.]

We've talked about this a hundred times, Coop...you've been breathing too much fire extinguisher fumage...yes, t-shirts, the older and more threadbare the better, folded like Marc does.  Any old rag will work but I use the softest* and most lint-free I can find.

To get into corners, fold it as sharply as possible, and if you still can't get it in there, give it a tiny squeeze and flood the corner with a little extra juice.  Then wipe it out as cleanly as you can.

* by softest I mean has the least amount of texture as possible.  As an example, terry cloth would be a horrible choice.

[trialbyfire]

I find that a good ~$5 bristle brush works well for all oil based finishes for me. I tried using a crapy foam brush once... Not a fair shake I know but it was before I understood finishing to any proficient level. Is there any reason that the guys that said they use a brush use a FOAM brush instead of a bristle brush for ARS?

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[Eric.]

I think ARS is way too thin for a bristle brush (I also think it's too thin for a foam brush, personally).  It would be all wet and sloppy and really hard to get a clean application with a bristle brush.  I use the folded up t-shirt because it offers so much control over how much finish you lay down in each stroke.

[AceHoleInOne]

Yep, I agree with the Eric...never had the even of coats or the control with hair/foam brush. Sounds fun though, I should try it, To quote Eric "really hard, each stroke wet and sloppy, did I read that correctly? 

 

-Ace-

[Llama]

12 minutes ago, Mike. said:

My 10 year old son could, and did, lay down a good ARS finish with a foam brush.  

I like using a foam brush for that ARS stuff.

Just buy a crap-ton of them on Amazon.  

[estesbubba]

40 minutes ago, Llama said:

I like using a foam brush for that ARS stuff.

Just buy a crap-ton of them on Amazon.  

Yup, I just use the cheap Jen brushes with Waterlox which is about as thin as ARS. 

[Brendon_t]

6 hours ago, Eric. said:

Terry cloth would be a horrible choice.

Wth did I do? 

[MisterDrow]

Yeah I keep all of my old t-shirts when my wife makes me retire them (usually because they have holes in them). Just cut them into squares, roll 'em up, and they are perfect for applying wipe-on finishes like ARS.

[shaneymack]

Wth did I do? 

Lmao

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[Eric.]

2 hours ago, Brendon_t said:

Wth did I do? 

I don't get it...is terry cloth your nickname or something?

[Coop]

It is from now on

[Brendon_t]

I don't get it...is terry cloth your nickname or something?

Terry is my last name. Used to be part of my username.

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[xxdabroxx]

3 hours ago, Brendon_t said:

Wth did I do? 

Well, there goes my mental image of Brendon...  (Well the spelling is different to apparently)

[Brendon_t]

11 minutes ago, xxdabroxx said:

Well, there goes my mental image of Brendon...  (Well the spelling is different to apparently)

That's me, the strikingly handsome one

[Coop]

I'm only seeing one picture?

[Elroy Skimms]

I gave ARS a shot for the first time last week on some Cherry. It took almost 2x longer than advertised to dry, which was disappointing as I was on a time crunch. However, I have 0 complaints about the finished product. The wipe on application is flawless and the wood texture telegraphs through the finish perfectly.

I do have a couple of questions though.

First, for sliding drawers (wood on wood), I'm assuming I should apply some sort of a wax on both surfaces, is that correct? If so, any recommendations?

Second, I can't get my kids to remember to put the damn DVD or video game back inside the cases, so relying on them to use a coaster is probably an exercise in futility. For an end table top where cold drinks will eventually be placed directly on the surface, should I top coat with something else after ARS or is "MOAR ARS" the solution here? The goal is either to prevent rings OR make sure the rings are only in the finish and can be sanded and repaired.

EDIT TO ADD: Third, the ARS can says not to sand beyond 220 grit. I did a light hand sanding to 340 before I read the label. There is a distinct difference in the unfinished wood between the 220 and 340. The 340 feels amazing. Am I shooting myself in the foot going to 340 before ARS?

-E

[Eric.]

You don't need to sand the raw wood beyond 180 or 220 before applying finish.  Anything beyond that is a waste of time.  Check your surface with raking light before finish to make sure all the scratches and blemishes are gone, then finish.

You will, however, sand to much higher grits during the finish.  I usually use 320 after the first and second coats, and 600 between the third and fourth coats.  (The fourth coat is the final coat...usually.)  Then after it cures, I will wet polish with a 1000 or 2000 grit Platin pad.

I use Renaissance wax for any wood-on-wood contact areas.  It's awesome stuff.

As for the rings...nothing can prevent that except coasters...and corporal punishment.

ARS is a tough urethane finish...if it can't protect your furniture from a sweaty glass, nothing can.  Putting additional coats of anything on top of ARS defeats the purpose of using ARS.

As for dry times...humidity slows things down significantly.  I usually plan to do only one coat a day, but sometimes I'm able to squeeze in two if the conditions are right.  I never proceed with another coat before the previous one is completely dry.

[Elroy Skimms]

24 minutes ago, Eric. said:

I usually use 320 after the first and second coats, and 600 between the third and fourth coats.  (The fourth coat is the final coat...usually.)  Then after it cures, I will wet polish with a 1000 or 2000 grit Platin pad.

I Googled "platin pad" because I have no idea what that is. A see a lot of Festool green in the results. Is that a Festool thing?

-E

[Tpt life]

10 hours ago, Elroy Skimms said:

I Googled "platin pad" because I have no idea what that is. A see a lot of Festool green in the results. Is that a Festool thing?

-E

Nah, Abralon makes them too. It's a shape and form label that only certain makers use but could be applied to others. 

[Elroy Skimms]

2 minutes ago, Mike. said:

I use abralon pads on nearly every project.  Even though I have festool sanders, I still use Abralon, only because I used them back before I bought my festool sanders.  I have not compared the price of abralon vs. platin, Abralon works fine so I have stuck with it. 

I buy from this guy.  You can pick whatever grits you want.  I keep an assortment of 500-2000 grit. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/191528667064?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true

 

Are these pads hook & loop for my ROS or do I need another sander for them?

-E

[Elroy Skimms]

39 minutes ago, Mike. said:

I assume they come in 5" and 6" size, so make sure you get the right size. 

Good catch. I hadn't noticed the 6" description. My Porter Cable is 5". I sent the ebay seller a message to find out if they come in 5" sizes.

EDIT: Looks like they only come in 6". So my options are buy another sander or find another type of sanding pad. Any suggestions?

-E

[Eric.]

I don't ever use Platin pads on my sander.  You may be interested in them for some other purpose, but for polishing an ARS finish, I do that by hand.  And after I use it, I soak the pad with mineral spirits, squeeze out the excess, and store it in a tupperware container for future use.  They're too expensive to use only once, and you can usually get a few uses out of each one.