[EARGASM]

Removed by member.

[Danny Richie]

Geez you guys crack me up. 

All in good fun.

[WGH]

Don't expect to get a perfect high gloss mirror finish without spray equipment and lots of experience.

But a very nice gloss finish with a brush? It can be done. I get excellent results with Waterlox.
I wouldn't worry about filling the pores or using a sealer,you should sand after each step and being a novice you risk sanding through the veneer. The less steps the better.

1.) Sand veneer lightly after glue up. You can do a wipe down with mineral spirits to see if you missed any glue squeeze out.
2.) Brush a coat of Waterlox on all 6 sides, let soak in then wipe off excess, let dry overnight.
3.) Sand lightly, and remove dust with a tack cloth.
4.) Vacuum your entire shop or finish in a clean area.
5.) Lay the speaker on a side, you will be finishing one side/day.
6.) Use the tack cloth again.
7.) Brush a thin coat of Waterlox on the side facing up, it will flow together with no brush marks.
8.) Watch for drips on the edges and carefully wipe off with a clean cloth.
9.) Repeat on the other three sides, top and bottom. Always use a tack rag before applying the finish.
10.) When all sides are done, sand lightly, vacuum again and do it all over again.
11.) 3 coats will look pretty good.

Dust is your enemy. Pour just enough Waterlox in a clean container to do the one side, then discard the excess. Do not pour back into the container, it will contaminate the can. Buy a new brush, Purdy is a very good brand and will not leave little broken fibers in the finish.

I you decide to use varnish, strain the varnish through pantyhose first.

Wayne

[EARGASM]

Removed by member.

[ecramer]

Just having some fun,  the LS-9 Do sound amazing  Great thread, There are some true artist on this sight and Finishing is an art in itself Why the woodworking part i can handle with no problem I am always looking for better ways to finish. I like the danish oil a lot and i also like tung oil or linseed oil mixes as i don't own a spray gun yet.

Oh wow, I just noticed from your signature line that you will be due for an upgrade soon too. 

Onix cd-3, KCI Falcon digital ic, North Star M192 DAC,  KCI Sound Bolts ic's, Rogue Audio Magnum 99, KCI Sound Bolts, Odyssey Stratos Mono Extremes, Selah Audio Tanzinites, Selah Audio RC-5G VPI scout Signature arm Dynavector DV20Xl Cartridge

Yea i could use a better transport 

[WGH]

Thanks Eric,

Here is a table top finished with a brush. Waterlox with probably some varnish added for durability.



Wayne

[EARGASM]

Removed by member.

[WGH]

Waterlox is definitely not water white, it adds a very slight warm brown to the wood color, most wood looks better with it. The woodworkers here that spray on a lacquer or catalyzed varnish usually do a first coat of Waterlox to bring out the grain and add some life to the color otherwise the finial product just looks dull even under a gloss finish.

Waterlox is a highly refined tung oil varnish that is also highly reactive when exposed to the air. It sets up and dries very quickly so it doesn't attract dust like a spar varnish and it sands easily without gumming. The oil dries so quickly you actually could do 2-3 coats in a day in a warm environment because it has a very thin viscosity, it is just a little thicker than paint thinner.

Because Waterlox is so thin, it does not have the abrasion resistance of a high build topcoat or the same waterproofing properties, but for speakers and furniture is it perfect. I mix in McCloskey Satin Spar Varnish (with UV absorbers) which makes a nice durable coating, but it does take practice to brush on a perfect coat that looks sprayed on.

I'm guessing that because Waterlox is tung oil based it will take 30 days to completely cure. I usually rub out the finish with 0000 steel wool and paste wax because my customers like the satin hand rubbed look.   

[Christof]

Eric/WGH

Waterlox is a goto in my shop and whenever possible onsite.  To my eye Waterlox gives a bit more depth and warmth than shellac or the "quick dry floor sealers" common in my trade.

Hope this in getting off topic.....

Here is detail shot of a quartered Red Oak floor with dye->oil stain->4 coats Waterlox Original Finish.  It does scratch easier than my typical H2O urethane schedule but is easy to touch up and still has the look of oiled wood vs a sheet of plastic....beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 



overall appearance of oak finished with Waterlox



One more pic...this is Jatoba sealed with 2 coats Waterlox Original, wait 48hrs then 2 coats matte sheen water-borne.  Much different look than Waterlox used solo.  In this case oil and water do mix no problem and give a uniform sheet appearance.

[EARGASM]

Removed by member.

[WGH]

Christof -

Looks like you got your floors done. 

Wayne

[Danny Richie]

Man, you guys do some good looking wood work.

[tcsubwoofer]

I'm thinking a new thread in Selah might be the way to go.

That's okay Eric. Let's help him out anyway. He might want to upgrade one day. 

tcsubwoofer, I am not much of a wood finishing expert, but will help in any way that I can. Feel free to use my forum for any questions you might have with anything.

I had hoped my question would be welcome - though I figured I might get some heat since I'm building a different brand of speaker.  Great thread to keep posting to.  Several GR speakers interest me and you never know if I might want to add those to my collection down the road...though I can't say if they would truly be an upgrade as much as an addition.  Some of the posts here have been very helpful and I'm much obliged to your fans!

[tcsubwoofer]

Don't expect to get a perfect high gloss mirror finish without spray equipment and lots of experience.

But a very nice gloss finish with a brush? It can be done. I get excellent results with Waterlox.
I wouldn't worry about filling the pores or using a sealer,you should sand after each step and being a novice you risk sanding through the veneer. The less steps the better.

1.) Sand veneer lightly after glue up. You can do a wipe down with mineral spirits to see if you missed any glue squeeze out.
2.) Brush a coat of Waterlox on all 6 sides, let soak in then wipe off excess, let dry overnight.
3.) Sand lightly, and remove dust with a tack cloth.
4.) Vacuum your entire shop or finish in a clean area.
5.) Lay the speaker on a side, you will be finishing one side/day.
6.) Use the tack cloth again.
7.) Brush a thin coat of Waterlox on the side facing up, it will flow together with no brush marks.
8.) Watch for drips on the edges and carefully wipe off with a clean cloth.
9.) Repeat on the other three sides, top and bottom. Always use a tack rag before applying the finish.
10.) When all sides are done, sand lightly, vacuum again and do it all over again.
11.) 3 coats will look pretty good.

Dust is your enemy. Pour just enough Waterlox in a clean container to do the one side, then discard the excess. Do not pour back into the container, it will contaminate the can. Buy a new brush, Purdy is a very good brand and will not leave little broken fibers in the finish.

I you decide to use varnish, strain the varnish through pantyhose first.

Wayne

Wayne, thank you for such excellent directions!  Also, the picture of the table looks fantastic.   A wiping varnish such as Waterlox is exactly what I was leaning towards though I hadn't identified a particular brand until this thread.  Since you mention that I need to strain varnish, isn't Waterlox a varnish?  Bob Flexner's book has Waterlox in the varnish chapter.

Erik mentioned earlier that a gravity gun was inexpensive.  I looked at home depot on-line and gravity guns are going for $49 and this wouldn't break the bank.  Heck, I could easily spend that on fine brushes.  I would assume you would agree that if I could spray this would be better than brushing?  It might be advantageous to spray more coats if they dry quicker.  I realize my original questions pertained to the use of brush topcoats since I don't have spray equipment, but as a result of this topic I've learned that spraying the top coat may be a real possibility.

I'll take whatever amount of time I need and try to do the process right.  Thanks for the input to get me going.

[HT cOz]

Eric/WGH


Here is detail shot of a quartered Red Oak floor with dye->oil stain->4 coats Waterlox Original Finish.  It does scratch easier than my typical H2O urethane schedule but is easy to touch up and still has the look of oiled wood vs a sheet of plastic....beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 



overall appearance of oak finished with Waterlox



One more pic...this is Jatoba sealed with 2 coats Waterlox Original, wait 48hrs then 2 coats matte sheen water-borne.  Much different look than Waterlox used solo.  In this case oil and water do mix no problem and give a uniform sheet appearance.

Wow those floors look great!  What products were used in the two sequences?  Are you a professional?  Could you go through the steps in a little more detail?  I am going to be building a house in 2009/10 and I want the wood floors to be as nice as possible. 

Again Awsome!

Cheers,
Robert

[EARGASM]

Removed by member.

[Danny Richie]

I had hoped my question would be welcome - though I figured I might get some heat since I'm building a different brand of speaker.

You will always be welcome here. You'll have to able to handle a little ribbing though. 

Several GR speakers interest me and you never know if I might want to add those to my collection down the road

Every collection needs a jewel or two (okay that is a little more ribbing). 

though I can't say if they would truly be an upgrade as much as an addition.

Well, one day, you'll know for sure.    If you ever make it down this way then you will be welcome to visit.

This was a pretty good thread though. The real finishing experts really let some info out.

[WGH]

A wiping varnish such as Waterlox is exactly what I was leaning towards though I hadn't identified a particular brand until this thread.  Since you mention that I need to strain varnish, isn't Waterlox a varnish?

Waterlox is a interesting product. Most varnish is thicker and can be brushed on vertical surfaces without dripping, Waterlox runs very easily so has to be applied in very thin layers. Varnish also needs to be stirred before using, not so with Waterlox - just pour as is from the can.

You might have noticed varnish skins over in the can, when it is mixed the skin, which is actually dried varnish, is broken up and incorporated into the mix but never disappears so you have to strain out the small chunks. Waterlox skins over too so it is a good idea to strain before using.

Standard medium paint strainers are too course and let the little bits through, pantyhose works perfectly - I'm sure there is an extra fine professional strainer, just never looked for one.

There are only a handful of finishes that you can just spray on til they drip, not certain if Waterlox is one of them.

Never tried spraying Waterlox, I think it would run very easily.

Wayne

[Christof]

Never tried spraying Waterlox, I think it would run very easily.

Waterlox is approx. 75% solvent by weight....I can't tell you what my head feels like after coating a 1000sq.ft. floor with it, I never remember.  Every floor I coat with Waterlox I swear will be my last tung oil floor  I wear 3m respirators but they saturate very fast.  I personally would not spray Waterlox without a good great spray booth and even then why?  It goes on with a rag, mop, brush, anything....one of the most forgiving finished I've used, go thin and use many coats with a maroon pad sanding b/t coats to knock out any dust.

HT cOz

Wow those floors look great!  What products were used in the two sequences?  Are you a professional?  Could you go through the steps in a little more detail?  I am going to be building a house in 2009/10 and I want the wood floors to be as nice as possible.

Again Awsome!

Cheers,
Robert

Thanks and yes I do floors for a living and would be more than happy to talk with you about them but to keep focus here let's talk about your floors via PM   The black floor is 100% Waterlox.  The second floor is Waterlox top coated with a water-borne urethane.

-chris

[S Clark]

  Wow. So much info I think that my head will burst.  Fortunately, I bought a decent amount of extra veneer for this project, so I can do up some trial pieces before jumping into the deep water. 

The original idea was layer after layer after layer...... of clear lacquer.  The reasoning was simply because that screw-ups were easy to fix (from what I hear).  I have a spray rig and decent compressor, but no real experience with a gun other than painting a tractor, and a bit of work on a truck. 

Eric- If I use a catalzyed auto finish, what nozzle size do I use?

For that matter, what nozzles and pressure do you guys that use spray rigs use for the various finishes that you have mentioned?

And finally, is the clear lacquer a bad idea? If not, what nozzle and pressure would you recommend?