1968 Travel Queen Resto Mod - 7. Finishes & Finishing

Over the course of two days I got two coats of poly on the stained boards. There was also the steel wool buffing in between - and a shopping trip.

Here's a first coat in progress.













This shot shows the pieces after the first coat dried overnight and I had buffed them with the steel wool. Another sweep off, and a complete wipe down with a tack cloth, and they were ready for the second coat.



A close look seems to show air bubbles. I guess there are - but there shouldn't be.



The idea for stain isn't so bad - you can invert the can and shake it up to mix the tinting particles in good with the liquid and then apply it with a cloth. I use soft cotton, but with thin latex gloves on.

But the poly is another story. I don't shake it - you don't want froth or air bubbles. I gently stir with a stir stick and try to mix the tinted particles in good with the poly. I try to keep it stirred during application, but sometimes I forget.

Even so, after applying (which is probably where I get my bubbles because I might get a little western with my brush), and spreading a good coat, come back over it relatively quickly to make long full brush strokes, leaving simple nice brush marks - with the grain - that will all flow nicely into one another leaving a nice even smooth coat thanks to the effects of gravity and static cohesion. On a vertical surface you have to depend on static cohesion and try to nullify the effects of gravity but the smooth even coat still works if you don't get it on too thin or too thick.





Here you'll notice the white primer along the bottom edge of the main cabinet wall. I did that while priming the battery tray I built in between times. See that under "Electric".







Tomorrow I'll be able to get these back in place and evaluated for the next step. Probably bronze!