The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Furniture Finishing
When spraying over an unfilled surface, great care must be exercised to avoid spraying enough material over the spot to fill all the pores and thus have a smooth spot, whereas the rest of the surface will show open pores. To avoid this, pass over the surface with the spray at intervals long enough to allow the material to set. The material will flow into the pores and settle, allowing one to determine if enough has been used. Steel wool. 2/0, can be used to smooth down the spot when dry, and then another application can be made if necessary. The first thing to consider on an open-pore surface is the matching in amount of material and determine if the surface shows the pores like those on the spot.
Surfacing Spray Patches.—The most difficult part of patching with a spray is being able to match the rest of the surface as in dullness or polish. The surface may have been rubbed with two or three grades of pumice and oil, or with pumice and water, or it may have been surfaced with waterproof garnet paper, and occasionally with steel wool. One can tell just what has been used only by experience, and a novice must try all the methods until he finds the right one.
Surfacing a Spray Patch ivith Pumice and Oil.—Most all spray patches, especially shellac, lacquer, or varnish, can be rubbed with pumice and oil to match the surrounding surface, but one must determine if FF or FFF pumice should be used, and if the spot is too dull, add a little rottenstone to the rubbing mixture of pumice. Use the same method of rubbing, after the surface of the spot is dry and hard, as you would in finishing an entire surface, except that you must concentrate on the spot and refrain from putting much weight on the rubbing felt when you reach the outer rim of the spot. If you put too much pressure on the feathered edge, you will likely rub through. The material you select for rubbing is described under the heading in Chapter II of this Hook, also in Book II, under the heading (Chapter VIII) Finishing Coat.
Other Methods of Surfacing Sprayed Spots.—Occasionally one can use waterproof paper for sanding a patch, and if so, either 6/0 or 7/0 can be used, depending on the texture desired for the finish, and then if this surface is too dull the surface is wiped off and rubbed with pumice and oil. This method is treated in Book II, Chapters VII and VIII. Great care must be exercised if water is used with either garnet paper or pumice stone, as these abrasives cut rapidly. Clean off with sponge and chamois frequently to see if the patch has been rubbed sufficiently.
