# Hey Bob N, I need a step by step…



## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

Hey Bob,

I’ve picked up:

Danish oil (natural)
General Finishes Seal-A-Cell
General Finishes semi-gloss wipe on poly

Can you give me a specific run down of how you finish your boxes that look so great? What do you do to prepare the wood (220 sand?). What do you do between coats (and how long do you wait between). Also other prep (mineral sprits? Tack cloth?) What do you use to apply everything? 

Thanks Man!!!

BTW, where did your eyeball go?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Nick

I'M Very Sorry to say BOB N. is Gone from the forum, you will need to email him if you want some feed back on your question... 


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Nickbee said:


> Hey Bob,
> 
> I’ve picked up:
> 
> ...


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## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

ick,, I am sorry to hear that... If anyone else can chime in that would be great. I will try emailing him...


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

Hi Nickbee.



> What do you do to prepare the wood (220 sand?)


 Yes. Use progressive grits finishing up with 220. You could go finer but some woods don't accept stain as well when sanded too fine. It depends on the type of wood you are using. I prefer to use mineral spirits on a lint free cloth (old T-shirts are great) for cleaning the wood instead of tack cloth. Tack cloth can leave a residue on your wood. Now apply what stain or treatment you want.



> What do you do between coats (and how long do you wait between)


 If you are using wipe on poly (again using a T-shirt) you should let stand for 3 to 4 hrs. (depending on temp and humidity maybe longer... see directions on can). Danish oil soaks into the wood and is a good finish but you don't sand between coats, also it doesn't provide any protection like poly does. Use 220 or finer paper (or 0000 steel wool) and lightly sand just enough to give the next coat something to hold on to. You are not trying to take anything off, just scratching the surface. If you use steel wool be sure there are no strands left on your project.
Usually two to three thin coats are sufficient. You can do more if you like.

After the last coat let stand for at least 8 - 12 hours ( again maybe more depending on temp and humidity). Now you are ready to buff with 0000 steel wool and wax (I use Johnson's finish paste wax). Simply dip the wool into the wax and rub into the finish. Let it set for a while then buff with a soft cloth (you guessed it... T-shirt). You should end up with a beautiful, smooth, finish that feels sort of velvety to the touch.

Thats just how I do it.  I'm sure others will have different ideas.
Good luck with your box's and show us how they come out.


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## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

Thanks George!

As Bob N mentioned my plan was to do one coat of natural Danish oil, then one coat of Seal-A-Cell followed by 3-4 coats of wipe on semi gloss poly.

I do like using mineral sprits and a rag before coats go on...

Do you need to sand after the coat of seal and coats of wipe on poly?

And the steel wool and wax tip is great!!!!


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## curiousgeorge (Nov 6, 2006)

> Do you need to sand after the coat of seal and coats of wipe on poly?


 Yes, you will have to sand the sealer. See previous post for wipe on poly.

Here are some boxs I did using the described process. The pen is just for size comparison. 
The box on the front left is a band saw box made of oak. 
The ones to the front right and rear are made with the router. They are both oak and the larger box has a cedar top and bottom. They are all finished with Minwax "Puritan Pine" stain and three coats of Minwax wipe on poly buffed with 0000 steel wool and paste wax. The two larger box's have a felt liner in them.


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## Nickbee (Nov 9, 2007)

Great work George! Thanks for the tips!


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