Over-sanding and subsequent sealing

[Maurice]

Under the subject of "Stained too heavily" I learned that it was not necessary to sand the stock to the level I did.

Now that I have the stock at the color I want after following suggestions in that post, I plan to seal it with LMF permalyn sealer.

Any recommendations regarding additional prep work on the stock prior to sealing it given the level I went to with the sanding (800 grit)?

Or won't it matter?

 

[ron w]

couple of rules about using sandpaper that have to followed for a decent finish.
     
     first, keep your sandpaper fresh and sharp,..... change it out often. as soon as you see it not producing the dust that it did when it was brand new, get a new piece. dull sandpaper only burnishes the wood fibers, closing the pores that are expected to take finish. this reduces the vivid grain colors and variations in grain direction that gives your stock it's beauty.  this is the reason scraping is preferred over sanding.

     second, the finer you go in grit, the more important it is to use progressively finer grits in small increments.

[Ky-Flinter]

couple of rules about using sandpaper that have to followed for a decent finish.
     
     first, keep your sandpaper fresh and sharp,..... change it out often. as soon as you see it not producing the dust that it did when it was brand new, get a new piece. dull sandpaper only burnishes the wood fibers, closing the pores that are expected to take finish. this reduces the vivid grain colors and variations in grain direction that gives your stock it's beauty.  this is the reason scraping is preferred over sanding.

     second, the finer you go in grit, the more important it is to use progressively finer grits in small increments.

What does that have to do with the question Maurice asked??

I don't claim to know what prep work he needs to do before sealing his stock, so I didn't give an answer.  I will be interested in hearing from those knowledgeable in these matters.

-Ron

[flehto]

I do both sanding and scraping, but go over the entire stock w/ 220 grit when whiskering. After staining, the stock gets a good rub down w/ 0000 steel wool to remove unabsorbed stain and smooth the surface.  The result is a very smooth surface that won't look "cloudy". I use up to 3 different stains from Jim Klein  {Dangler stains}.

Evidently you want a very smooth surface and this procedure will yield that w/o the need for 800 grit paper.


Next is 2-3 wipe on/wipe off coats of LMF sealer and the soak in time is approx. 5-10 mins w/ a complete dry between coats.  After the last coat, 0000 steel wool removes any unabsorbed LMF and again smooths the surface. Next  is 2-3 sparse  finger rubbed coats of Wahkon Bay Trucoat w/ a complete dry between coats.

The resultant finish is very low lustre and if some sheen is wanted, a rubbing w/ a fluffy towel does that.  This is more than asked for, but does yield a very smooth final finish.....Fred

[rich pierce]

Any recommendations regarding additional prep work on the stock prior to sealing it given the level I went to with the sanding (800 grit)?

Or won't it matter?

Guessing here because I've not gone that fine.  Wet the stock very thoroughly, rub vigorously with a tight woven wet cloth to pull out any pore-clogging dust, and hit with the hair dryer.  Basic whiskering.  Should be good to go.

[n stephenson]

Fred, All of your rifles , I`ve had the pleasure to view have always had a NICE finish . Thanks for showing this  one . Beautiful piece!!!                     Nate

[Mike Brooks]

Here's the issue I'm concerned with. With all the sanding you did chances are all of your inlet parts are going to stand proud of the wood. You'll probably have to re inlet all of your parts.
 I have never used any sealer. I always just start putting on what ever finish I'm using.

[deepcreekdale]

I am with Mike on this. Properly applied final finish should seal the wood just fine. Some sealers are nothing but the final finished with some thinner to reduce viscosity.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

What Rich said!  After dying and whiskering you can burnish with a crumpled brown paper bag...