Scotch brite between coats

[scottmc]

Hi there again.  I have never tried the scotch brite pads before during finishing and have seen a few here mention the maroon pads.  Is there any issue with using the green pads between coats or are they too abrasive?  I've got two coats of permalyn sealer on the wood now and want to knock back the roughness a tad before rubbing in few thin top coats.  Its walnut so right now very porous but I dont mind that and am looking to not fill them.  Keep in mind that I burnished the grain down after staining instead of sanding trying to get that authentic looking ripple action in the wood.

[Eric Krewson]

The maroon pads are the most aggressive, the green is much less so. I used birchwood casey walnut sealer on my walnut stocked guns sanded a bit after each coat dried.

I have used the green pads and 000 steel wool during the finishing process and haven't see much difference.

[Daryl]

I've never sanded between coats before.  I always put on at least 3 or 4 (thin) coats before sanding down to the wood's surface, & that is for filling pores only. I now give 2 days for the first coat to harden, then 24hours for each after that, to ensure all are hard.
I use 1500 grit and use it dry for all sanding of finish, with a block.

[smylee grouch]

I use the green pads and try to get 3-4 coats on to seal the wood up. I think you will be more satisfied in the long run with the wood sealed up than with an unsealed wood grain to soak up unwanted moisture/oils &etc.

[scottmc]

Ok, thanks for the information from you all.  I was under the impression that the green pads were the most abrasive.
Maybe I should consider getting the pores completely filled.  There were a couple on here from some builders where they were somewhat open and I kind of liked the look but maybe not the best for moisture repelling.

[Scota4570]

Scotchbrite is a line of abrasive pads.  They make a bunch of different types .  Hand pads are only a segment.  .   

As for hand pads, I found this on line. 

SCOTCHBRITE GRIT CHART (courtesy of Charlest) back to top
3M Scotch Brite Nylon Pads:
7445 - White pad, called Light Duty Cleansing - (1000) 1200-1500 grit
7448 - Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand - (600-800) 800 grit.
6448 - Green (?), called Light Duty Hand Pad - (600) 600 grit
7447 - Maroon pad, called General Purpose Hand - (320-400) 320 grit
6444 - Brown pad, called Extra Duty Hand - (280-320) 240 grit
7446 - Dark Grey pad, called Blending Pad (180-220) 150 grit
7440 - Tan pad, called Heavy Duty Hand Pad - (120-150) 60(?)
Green Scotch Brite is available EVERYWHERE. It's 600 grit.
Blue Scotch-Brite is considered to be about 1000 grit.
(The value inside the parentheses is directly from 3M.)
3M Chart

[smallpatch]

I use a pad to APPLY my finish coats.  Makes a great applicator, and ensures a good bond.  No dust to worry about either.
Maroon, or green work equally well. Green is finer than maroon.

[DHS]

I use grey between coats which seems equivalent to 0000 steel wool.  White doesn't to do anything between coats but good for applying finish.

[SingleMalt]

I use a pad to APPLY my finish coats.  Makes a great applicator, and ensures a good bond.  No dust to worry about either.
Maroon, or green work equally well. Green is finer than maroon.

Excellent idea.

[scottmc]

Small patch, when u apply your finish using the pad, I'm assuming you have a lot of excess on the wood that u wipe off after a few minutes?  And do u only use the pad when applying the first 2-3 coats?

[moleeyes36]

Scotchbrite is a line of abrasive pads.  They make a bunch of different types .  Hand pads are only a segment.  .   

As for hand pads, I found this on line. 

SCOTCHBRITE GRIT CHART (courtesy of Charlest) back to top
3M Scotch Brite Nylon Pads:
7445 - White pad, called Light Duty Cleansing - (1000) 1200-1500 grit
7448 - Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand - (600-800) 800 grit.
6448 - Green (?), called Light Duty Hand Pad - (600) 600 grit
7447 - Maroon pad, called General Purpose Hand - (320-400) 320 grit
6444 - Brown pad, called Extra Duty Hand - (280-320) 240 grit
7446 - Dark Grey pad, called Blending Pad (180-220) 150 grit
7440 - Tan pad, called Heavy Duty Hand Pad - (120-150) 60(?)
Green Scotch Brite is available EVERYWHERE. It's 600 grit.
Blue Scotch-Brite is considered to be about 1000 grit.
(The value inside the parentheses is directly from 3M.)
3M Chart

That is excellent reference data.  I use Scotchbrite pads a lot.  I would however caution anyone buying this type of pad to ensure you are buying genuine 3M Scotchbrite products.  There are several other manufactures marketing a similar product and they don't use the same color/grit scheme.  I'm not saying there is anything wrong with these other manufactures' products, just cautioning that they use a different color/grit scheme.

Mole Eyes

[smallpatch]

Single and Scott,
I mostly use Chambers oil finish.  It is a wipe on, wipe off type of finish. I apply to the whole stock, then wipe off.  Works very well.

[Tim]

Single and Scott,
I mostly use Chambers oil finish.  It is a wipe on, wipe off type of finish. I apply to the whole stock, then wipe off.  Works very well.

Smallpatch, I assume there is a good bit of working time with the Chambers finish before it starts getting tacky. Chambers finish is what I plan on using on my Kibler Southern mountain rifle. Do You thin it for the first few coats or use it uncut?

[smallpatch]

Tim,
I've never seen the need to cut Chambers's oil. Where I live, humidity is low, so just a few minutes later, it's time to wipe it and let it dry.  Three or four coats this way, and it starts to look like a finish. After that, it's up to you, and the wood, how many more is needed. It's at this point, I start applying with Skotchbrite pads.
I apply all coats the same way, flood and wipe off.
Here's another.