How can I give wood a high gloss shine?

Question

Hi

I am making a small wooden clock, and I want to give it a high gloss shine.

I have seen some american sites that use phrases such as 'give it a good few coats of urethane' or similar.

What would I be looking for in the UK to do this, I want to sand the pieces down, then I assume spray them with this stuff and wait for it to dry - than a good polish with a cloth.

Any help on this process and what products I can use would be very appreciated.

Thanks

Answer 1

keep rubbin'

Answer 2

I apologist if I sound rude...U want to spend all that money for a clock?  Go to the market in UK and u can get a nice wall clock for less than $10.  Never mind where it's coming from....but...the time, money, effort u spent.  The question is is it worth it?

Answer 3

Im no expert,but i have worked on some classic yachts and watched proffesional varnishers at work.they mix varnish with a thinner untill its almost like water and then start laying coats.After each coat has had a chance to dry they thicken the mix slightly.On new wood i saw them lay down 40 or 50 coats,lightly sanding each coat then applying the next untill finally laying the last coat of unthinned varnish.You would have to investigate their techniques further but the results were a deep glass like covering to the wood.I also remember the brushes were really expensive, some kind of animal hair i think which they protected like children.definately an art.

Answer 4

I assume in the UK there is the product called "polyurethane".  It can be water based and dries to a clear, hard finish.  A few coats of this, with proper drying time between, should give you a shiny finish with no polishing.  It will also protect the wood.  Polyurethane in the US can be bought in either spray form or liquid (paint on) form.

Answer 5

Use poly urethane, but after every coat drys, use steel wool to go over the wood to remove the bubbles. The more coats, the higher the gloss

Answer 6

Sand the wood,one coat of high gloss clear varnish,allow 24 hours to dry.sand again with very fine paper and give 2nd coat of varnish.Use a good quality varnish at room temperature.Good luck.

Answer 7

You should start with a rough grit sand paper, and sand it with increasingly finer grits.  Go all the way to 1000 grit.  You can get 1000 grit sand paper at auto parts stores.  Once you get it sanded to perfection, you can use a high gloss finish--a spar urethane, or polyurethane, but you might get a shinier finish with Thunderbird Epoxy.

Answer 8

high gloss polyeurathane.

usually you paint it, not spray it.

Answer 9

Get the varnish you want, and add a little thinner to it. This will make it apply thinly, like water. It'll help fill the gaps.

Then sand it.

Repeat that once or twice, to your suiting, and then apply at least two to three coats of the thinned varnish.

Then buff it up.

it really doesn't matter what varnish your use, as long as you ad a little thinner, like turps or something. Its only to make the varnish easier to apply, and the thinner varnish doesn't set unevenly.

The more times you sand, the better the effect will be, but if i were going to sand more than twice, I would start to use glass paper instead, as there comes a point where sand paper wont make the finish any smoother. Glass paper will help, but you'll only need to do it on one coating.

Hope that helps.

Answer 10

go to the craft store or hardware store and ask, they will help u out.

Answer 11

tung oil

Answer 12

Can't be too sure on this, but I would imagine that it's more likely to be an oil of some sort repeated after each finer grade of sand paper to begin with.

Bees wax (I'm can't remember the other wax) to finish with.

p.s. no need to varnish interior.

Answer 13

maybe

Answer 14

Number one- never sand wood with a paper finer than 220 or 280, ever! The dust becomes too fine and clogs the pores of the wood and it will result in a bad finish. Number two- don't listen to the answer about the yacht. You aren't building a yacht.

Sand the wood down with a max 280 grit paper. If you are using a water-based finish, you need to rub the wood one more time with a damp rag to pre-raise the grain. Let it dry and sand again. If using a solvent based finish, use a tack cloth to take off the dust. Apply your finish. Let it dry and give it a rub with steel wool and use your tack cloth again ( or a damp rag if using water based - never use a tack cloth with water-based finishes, you will get 'fish eyes'.) and recoat. Give it three or four. If you want a high high gloss finish you will need to buy a rubbing compound. Talk to the guys at the wood shop.