Advice required

[Chrisn01]

Hiya

After a bit of advice, purchased an old solid mahogany desk which was in need of some tlc. Stripped it, sanded down going through the grades. Wiped down with white spirit, then used a mix of 75%varnish to 25% white spirit.

Looked lovely after first applying varnish mix, but once dried, had white lines in the grain if you get what I mean. This is the second time this has happened to me & would love to know what im doing wrong.

 

[robgul]

You look as if you need to apply a "grain filler" post-sanding and pre-finishing - that does exactly what the name applies. You might also be better to look at applying a shellac polish rather than the varnish . . . it requires more work but will be more durable and look better.

And - what did you strip it with? - you may find there's some residue of the stripper even after sanding if you didn't neutralise the stripper.

 

[Chrisn01]

Hey Robgul, thanks for your reply :0) Will look into using grain filler, but will it take away from the natural beauty of the wood at all.

Think you may be onto something regarding the paint stripper as only gave it a light wipe down with white spirit prior to varnishing. Whats the best way to neutralise any left over paint stripper residue as im going to strip it and start again.

Kind regards

Chris

 

[Valhalla]

There is a series of 3 videos by Simon Gilboys about french polishing. It covers the issues you are having and is well worth a watch. You don't need to follow all the steps and you don't need to french polish as the steps are applicable to a number of different finishes. Here is a link to the first one:

 

[Sachakins]

After stripping and sanding and wiping down, I give it 5 mins to dry off, then go to it with an airline to remove any residue in the grain, then a shellac as a sanding sealer, de nib when dry, then move onto your desired finish.

 

[Cabinetman]

The white marks look like chalky deposits from when the tree was growing to me, I suspect it had been stained to cover them up and the stripping has removed this. These two photos show a piece of Indian Rosewood? That I was trying to Cover up the deposits with stain, just one quick wipe was reasonably successful. Ian

 

[robgul]

Hey Robgul, thanks for your reply :0) Will look into using grain filler, but will it take away from the natural beauty of the wood at all.

Think you may be onto something regarding the paint stripper as only gave it a light wipe down with white spirit prior to varnishing. Whats the best way to neutralise any left over paint stripper residue as im going to strip it and start again.

Kind regards

Chris

The word "filler" is a bit of a misnomer - it won't affect the appearance to any significant extent - and for neutralising the paint stripper I use thinners (or it's called "gun wash" - as it's used to clean spray guns) wiped on with a rag - it dries/evaporates almost instantly with no residue like white spirit. The sanding sealer in another post is a sort of grain filler. As always, best to try on a part of the piece that isn't normally visible.

 

[Ollie78]

A few coats of sanding sealer might be enough otherwise a grain filler as stated above.
The full French polish method is pretty time consuming but nothing beats it for smooth.

Ollie

 

[eribaMotters]

Could these deposits not be naturally occuring silica or calcium deposits. I've experienced similar in the likes of Teak/Iroko.

Colin

 

[JonOuk]

It is more than likely plaster of Paris or something very similar, that used to be used (more widely) as a grain filler….

 

[JonOuk]

The word "filler" is a bit of a misnomer - it won't affect the appearance to any significant extent - and for neutralising the paint stripper I use thinners (or it's called "gun wash" - as it's used to clean spray guns) wiped on with a rag - it dries/evaporates almost instantly with no residue like white spirit. The sanding sealer in another post is a sort of grain filler. As always, best to try on a part of the piece that isn't normally visible.

I don’t understand why ‘filler’ is a misnomer.
It fills the open grain…
using less material (and requiring less polish manipulation when pulling over) to achieve a high build finish…

 

[robgul]

I don’t understand why ‘filler’ is a misnomer.
It fills the open grain…
using less material (and requiring less polish manipulation when pulling over) to achieve a high build finish…

I was referring to the word "filler" usually being like wood filler/Alabastine/Polyfilla/caulking etc whereas the filler used for the purpose here is pretty much a liquid. I agree that it does "fill" but not in the traditional sense of "filling" a gap.