Fix for poly droplet

[Mark J]

Need some urgent help here.  I just went to apply the third and final coat of gel polyurethane (Bartley) on this project and discovered a dried droplet of finish.  

Ughhh!!!  This is probably 1 x 4 mm to give it perspective.  The wood is hard maple sanded to P600, so very smooth.  

I don't want to refinish this whole piece.  Not an option psychologically or time wise. 

I could focus sand this out, but will the application of an additional coat or two of polyurethane "repair" the damaged surface?  Any other suggestions?  Keep in mind this is a small object with a very smooth surface that will be held and examined closely.

[Chestnut]

I don't know anything about the finish you are using but I'd pare the droplet off with a sharp chisel, sand the area flat, scuff the entire object and give it a light coat being careful not to do this again.

When i finish  the game boards i make (pictured below) I spray finish in the holes witch leaves a raised area around them. I let the poly dry and then sand it flat with 400 grit. I do a single coat on top of that.

[AceHoleInOne]

Take a razor blade...apply clear tape to either end of the blade to lift the blade off the surface to prevent scratching the surface around the drop. Use the center of the blade to gently scrape and level the drop. Think of it as a small card scraper. 

 

-Ace- 

[Mark J]

11 minutes ago, AceHoleInOne said:

Take a razor blade...apply clear tape to either end of the blade to lift the blade off the surface to prevent scratching the surface around the drop. Use the center of the blade to gently scrape and level the drop. Think of it as a small card scraper. 

 

-Ace- 

So the blade would be perpendicular to the wood surface?  Does the clear tape then cover the blade edges to act as a guard?

[drzaius]

I was just going to suggest the same thing. You'll never even notice it.

[drzaius]

1 minute ago, Mark J said:

So the blade would be perpendicular to the wood surface?  Does the clear tape then cover the blade edges to act as a guard?

I've done it using the blade like a scraper & also actually using slicing motion. The safer method is probably to use it like a scraper. curve the blade a little so you hit only the blob. Probably best to wait until the finish is fully cured though.

[AceHoleInOne]

29 minutes ago, Mark J said:

So the blade would be perpendicular to the wood surface?  Does the clear tape then cover the blade edges to act as a guard?

That is correct. You don't need to curve the blade and whatever you do...don't slice. Its a gentle take your time task. Don't try this until the finish is cured. 

-Ace-

[Mark J]

I think it's going to have to be a curved blade and scrape as the contour is saddle shaped.  I was thinking I might use an exacto blade.

By cured are you talking dry, or a complete 30 day cure?  The Bartley's is 'ready for next coat' in 6 hours.  It's already been 18 hours since the last coat.  There's no delectable odor.

1 hour ago, Chestnut said:

being careful not to do this again.

The thing that frys my behind is that I gave it an overall wipe down after the second coat against just such a possibility.

[AceHoleInOne]

Hope this helps you understand what were going for.

 

-Ace-

[Mark J]

At the risk of counting this chicken before it is entirely out of the shell, this seems to have worked.  Thanks for the tips!

I ended up using a curved exacto blade as the surface is a compound curve.  After scraping I used Micro Mesh sanding pads, dry, starting at 1500 and stepping through 3600 to smooth out the residual defect.  I'm liking the Micro Mesh product very much, that may find its way into my finishing scheme. 

I probably need one more coat of poly, but the project is looking good.  I hope to have pictures next week.  

 

By the way I should point out for others that don't know, Micro Mesh is not using the CAMI or Euro abrasive scales.  1500 is a tad finer than CAMI 400 or P600.   I got them from Rockler.