[trooper55]

Hi im putting a high gloss clearn finish on some letters we routed out and i keep getting little air bubbles that wont come out when i brush on the finish is there anyway to get them out or avoid them.

Thankis

[ger21]

What kind of finish? Try a heat gun or hair dryer immediately after brushing, very lightly though.

[diluded000]

Did you shake the finish before you put it on? That is one way to get air bubbles. Maybe try sanding it down and thinning your finish with solvent or water (depending on the finish) so the bubbles can rise to the surface before the finish gets tacky. I really like Varathane clear poly in the rattle can for small jobs - it is tough and levels to a nice gloss surface. For bigger furniture projects I use clear poly thinned with mineral spirits, and spray with HVLP.

[trooper55]

wow never thought of spraying it one just brushing it hmm, might have to see if we can do that here in the booth the product i have right now wich is going good besides fot the bubbles is Deft clear wood finish. and the prduct says not to thin it, so im not sure. Is there other brands that are better kinda new to the whole finishing part of woodworking.

Thanks

[ger21]

I'm assuming it's water based, since they say not to thin it. If so, then spraying it would work much better. Just be careful, as water based finishes can run easily if you put on too much.

[txcowdog]

Isn't Deft a brand name for lacquer? If you thin it it will lose it's sheen. I use an airless rig because I am in Texas where it is very humid. If I were to use an HVLP sprayer, the large volume of air would introduce too much moisture into the spray and would cause the finish to dry with a milky look.

I have only had bubble problems with varnish and those problems were solved with an airless sprayer.

[trooper55]

see im not sure i want to spray it due to the small volume of parts i just have the wooden letters cut out about 3 inch tall that says Unlocking potental so that would be alot of waste in the airless sprayer to do that, at least thats what i think but i know i can be wrong

[txcowdog]

Ace Hardware has a spray head that screws onto a glass jar. Essentially you have a small can of compressed gas with a siphon tube sticking out of the bottom and you screw the glass jar under this making your own spray can of whatever you want. This would probably work for small applications. The two pieces are sold separately so you will not have to buy a new jar when the spray head runs out of gas. I am not sure how thick of a liquid you can spray. If you are using the Deft finish I am think of, it is sold at HD in spray cans. It is a lacquer and is available in varying degrees of sheen. I do not know if Lowes carries the Deft brand but I am sure they carry lacquer of some brand or another.

[trooper55]

so i would almost be better off looking for a rattle can of clear coat then brushing it on? I will have to look in to it im just trying to get the best finish postible.

[Stan F]

Trooper55
I have done small jobs like that and and just dipped the article into the paint let drain when it dries it give you an absolutely smooth job

[indycraft]

Ace Hardware has a spray head that screws onto a glass jar. Essentially you have a small can of compressed gas with a siphon tube sticking out of the bottom and you screw the glass jar under this making your own spray can of whatever you want. This would probably work for small applications. The two pieces are sold separately so you will not have to buy a new jar when the spray head runs out of gas. I am not sure how thick of a liquid you can spray. If you are using the Deft finish I am think of, it is sold at HD in spray cans. It is a lacquer and is available in varying degrees of sheen. I do not know if Lowes carries the Deft brand but I am sure they carry lacquer of some brand or another.

As this thread has new life I will post what I found over the weekend.

The HD I visited over the weekend no longer sold deft.
Lowes had Deft brushing lacquer as well as Deft in a spray can.
I purchased 2 cans of Deft spray lacquer satin finish and it worked very well.
Indy

[Sbthomas13]

I don't know if you're supposed to do this, but I always apply clear coats (and any finishes for that matter) with clean pieces of cloth. I find that using brushes just leaves brush strokes and can cause air bubbles. I've always felt that the cloths provides a smoother finish, just my opinion. I'm not too experienced, that is just what we do in my high school tech shop.