Sanding/Polishing Wood

Off Topic
1

Hopefully, there are some wood workers here or car painters or anyone who knows really. I am making a custom skateboard and am not sure how to make it glossy and smooth. I have already finished the art.

Found this online. Wet sand the fully dried clear coat with 1000 grit on a sanding block. Then buff with micro fiber cloth with scratch/polish compound for cars.

If so do you just spray the finished art with a clear coat or do you do something to that first. Would the ultra cover clear work?

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/painters-touch-ultra-cover-2x

and for the polish

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g17216-ultimate-compound/

If there are better suggestions or product recommendations I am happy to hear them.

2

I’d sand the original painted/stained wood with a 120, 220, and then maybe 320/400.

Then apply a layer of clearcoat, polyurethane, or whatever you’re using. Sand that with the 220, 320, 400.
Then another layer of the gloss finish. Sand again.
Then a final layer of the gloss finish. Sand again, working from 320 to a 1000 grit or finer.

Personally I prefer a brush for applying a gloss finish.

I might be a little off on the choice of grits for use… but basically sand the original surface, coat with gloss, sand that smooth, repeat for 3 coatings of the gloss, and then finish with an ultra smooth sanding.

You can go talk to the paint guys at an O’Reilly’s and they’ll give you some good advice too. It’s been awhile since I’ve done it.

EDIT: if you’re doing this over art, I don’t know about prepping for that initial gloss layer. I wouldn’t want to damage the art. But the rest of the process is the same after that point.

3

[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
Hopefully, there are some wood workers here or car painters or anyone who knows really. I am making a custom skateboard and am not sure how to make it glossy and smooth. I have already finished the art.

Found this online. Wet sand the fully dried clear coat with 1000 grit on a sanding block. Then buff with micro fiber cloth with scratch/polish compound for cars.

If so do you just spray the finished art with a clear coat or do you do something to that first. Would the ultra cover clear work?

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/painters-touch-ultra-cover-2x

and for the polish

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g17216-ultimate-compound/

If there are better suggestions or product recommendations I am happy to hear them.[/quote]

If you have already painted the board do not sand that yet. I have never used spray can clear so I can’t say how well it works. It would be much better than a brush though. After your clear has dried you use the 1000 sand paper to get out any trash, orange peel, or runs. Trash is dust, hair, or anything that landed on the clear coat before it has dried. Orange peel is micro runs in the paint(looks kinda like an orange peel) It will ‘dull’ the look of the cear, don’t worry about that though, just don’t burn through the clear coat to the original paint. This is where the buffing comes in. Using the compound and buff out the dullness. I would recommend waxing after this step to really get the shine.

Applying the clear.
Well ventilated area.
Make sure area is clean. As dust free as possible
After the clear is sprayed leave the area trying not to disturb the air around it. So you don’t put any dust into the air that can land on your surface.

Read the spray can clear and see if you have to wait days before sanding and buffing. I don’t know anything about those cans of clear.

Also temperature is important. If the temperature is to cold the clear might dry but not cure for lack of a better way of describing it. It will be dry to the touch but when you go to buff it you will ruin it.

I would do a test run on something else first to make sure you have it down.

4

what type (acrylic,waterbased etc…) of paint did you use for the art work on the skateboard? using a clear coat that isnt compatible with the “under” coat could be a mess.
i think that compatibility should dictate what kind of clearcoat youll be using and that should dictate the way you apply it.
not all clears require sanding between coats and not all clears dry hard enough so they can be buffed to a high-gloss - see if you can find Behlen rockhard varnish, or perhaps convince the guy at the local autobody shop to spray a coat or two of the 2k finish they use on cars.

also if sanding the last coat of clear, i’d start (and finish) with a higher grit than recommended a few posts above - i’d start with 800 or so and go up to at least 2000.

5

[quote]Udile wrote:
what type (acrylic,waterbased etc…) of paint did you use for the art work on the skateboard? using a clear coat that isnt compatible with the “under” coat could be a mess.
i think that compatibility should dictate what kind of clearcoat youll be using and that should dictate the way you apply it.
not all clears require sanding between coats and not all clears dry hard enough so they can be buffed to a high-gloss - see if you can find Behlen rockhard varnish, or perhaps convince the guy at the local autobody shop to spray a coat or two of the 2k finish they use on cars.

also if sanding the last coat of clear, i’d start (and finish) with a higher grit than recommended a few posts above - i’d start with 800 or so and go up to at least 2000.
[/quote]

I used spray paint the same brand as the clear coat suggestion (Ultra Cover 2x Satin).

I will be trying acrylic paints next so, if you have suggestions for that it is appreciated.

6

[quote]mbdix wrote:

[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
Hopefully, there are some wood workers here or car painters or anyone who knows really. I am making a custom skateboard and am not sure how to make it glossy and smooth. I have already finished the art.

Found this online. Wet sand the fully dried clear coat with 1000 grit on a sanding block. Then buff with micro fiber cloth with scratch/polish compound for cars.

If so do you just spray the finished art with a clear coat or do you do something to that first. Would the ultra cover clear work?

http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/painters-touch-ultra-cover-2x

and for the polish

http://www.meguiars.com/en/automotive/products/g17216-ultimate-compound/

If there are better suggestions or product recommendations I am happy to hear them.[/quote]

If you have already painted the board do not sand that yet. I have never used spray can clear so I can’t say how well it works. It would be much better than a brush though. After your clear has dried you use the 1000 sand paper to get out any trash, orange peel, or runs. Trash is dust, hair, or anything that landed on the clear coat before it has dried. Orange peel is micro runs in the paint(looks kinda like an orange peel) It will ‘dull’ the look of the cear, don’t worry about that though, just don’t burn through the clear coat to the original paint. This is where the buffing comes in. Using the compound and buff out the dullness. I would recommend waxing after this step to really get the shine.

Applying the clear.
Well ventilated area.
Make sure area is clean. As dust free as possible
After the clear is sprayed leave the area trying not to disturb the air around it. So you don’t put any dust into the air that can land on your surface.

Read the spray can clear and see if you have to wait days before sanding and buffing. I don’t know anything about those cans of clear.

Also temperature is important. If the temperature is to cold the clear might dry but not cure for lack of a better way of describing it. It will be dry to the touch but when you go to buff it you will ruin it.

I would do a test run on something else first to make sure you have it down.
[/quote]

Thanks, this is what I figured but, did not want to try it with out making sure. I think I’ll try waxing it. Will any wax do?

EDIT: Would the waxing still make a difference if the spray paint used is “extra” glossy or will it add another look?

7

When you say ‘‘finished the art’’ what do you mean? Is it painted on the deck of the board? Is your question how to seal the artwork and still get a smooth glossy finish? Being that it is a skateboard, you need something durable. Varathane makes a gym floor sealer that is pretty simple to apply. You would also want to seal the artwork with a ‘‘sanding sealer’’ which is really a spit-coat of shellac.

Zinser makes a nice sealer. Whatever brand you use, make sure that it is wax free or you will have adhesion problems with your top coat. Wipe the shellac on with a clean rag. Do two coats if you would like. After it has dried, LIGHTLY sand the deck with 220 grit paper. Be careful to not cut through the shellac - just knock down the nubs and dust.

Blow it clean with an air compressor or wipe it with a tack cloth. If you are going to use a polyeurathane varnish, cut it with about 25% mineral spirits and lay on four or five coats with a clean rag. Make sure that you apply your coats within 30 minutes of each other or you will have to lightly sand the top coat. After your final coat, let the deck dry for a few days. This will allow the finish to dry and fully cure.

At that point, sand with 220 grit (go up as far to 1000 grit if you like) until the deck is smooth. You can LIGHTLY wipe the deck with a mineral spirit soaked rag to clean the dust off the deck. At this point, I see no reason to wax the board, as it will do nothing but sit on top of the poly. Plus it will likely make the deck slick and collect dirt.