The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Furniture Finishing
It is much easier to wipe across the surface with the palm of the hand when rubbing with water and thus clean a spot for inspection, and when the surface has been rubbed to a beautiful high polish, clean off with sponge and chamois.
RUBBING ENAMEL AND LACQUER
The rubbing of enameled or pigment lacquer surfaces for the finishing coat is done in the same manner as the rubbing of varnish or clear lacquer. The same care on edges, if pumice stone is being used, and the same frequent inspection are required to get the best results. The use of waterproof garnet paper in finishing is sometimes employed and may well be used on pigment lacquers. The use of this paper with plenty of water prevents any rolling up of the finish, even though it may be a little soft. However, the best results in rubbing or sanding with any material can be had only with a strictly dry, hard surface.
If waterproof garnet paper is used for surfacing the finish coat, nothing less than 4/0 to 7/0 paper should be used. Take a sponge full of water and cover the surface with water. Have the paper on a felt or cork block with rounded edges to prevent cutting: through at this point, and sand back and forth with the grain, overlapping each stroke with the previous one, enough to be sure of dulling the entire surface as you go along. Little pressure is needed with this paper for the cutting power is tremendous compared to pumice stone and oil, and the work can be accomplished much quicker in this way. Of course the work will have a very dull appearance and must be polished to some extent with oil and pumice or a mixture with rotten stone unless, of course, the extreme dullness is what is desired. Machines are equipped to use this paper, both the large rubbing machine and the small hand oscillator, so no one need hesitate to use this material. This manner of hand surfacing is done almost altogether now in automobile, and to some extent, in furniture finishing.
FLAT COAT MATERIALS
In production work on cheaper grades of furniture we find much use of flat varnish, flat lacquer, and occasionally egg-shell enamel. The use of these materials avoids much rubbing, especially on the obscure portions of furniture and on office furniture, and yet give the appearance of a dull-rubbed finish. Flat coaters are applied usually with the spray gun, in the same manner as the gloss coatings, but care is exercised not to get any runs or sags to avoid rubbing or sanding. The first coat can be sanded if desired, but usually the coats are applied over each other, and not more than two coats over a coat of stain and filler are common.
