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Why not make the last coat of Arn-R-Seal satin?
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Arm R seal is just an oil based varnish, no reason to think it's different from any other. But like the others, it will have to be pretty well cured before trying to rub it out. May take some time. You also might want to finish a couple of practice boards to develop just how much you will rub out. If you are just trying to knock the gloss down a little, consider using an automotive polishing compound (
like this, not a wax product) or maybe a rubbing compound (more coarse than polishing compound).
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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I waited 12 days and then used Abralon pads on my ros, followed by automotive polishing compound. Beautiful semi gloss. For satin I would stop at 4000 grit or so Abralon or Micromesh. For anything other than a flat surface I would just use OOOO steel wool or synthetic equivalent and paste wax.
John
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Most of the oil based finishes show 200 hours for "full cure", but my experience is that the finish continues to cure over a much longer period of time than that. It might be 90% cured at 200 hours. Certainly the 12 days indicated by Jten is worth while waiting period.
I have a cup holder that I finished with Minwax nearly 20 year ago and it is significantly harder than work I finished one year ago. My guess is that there is a rapid curing for the first few days and then the curing takes longer and longer to reach the finish that is buried well beneath the surface.
But as long as you are not cutting deeply into the surface I think 200 to 300 hours is probably plenty of time.
With Minwax oil based I use gloss for all but the final coat. On multiple coats the ground mica that is the dulling agent makes the finish look muddy. A final coat in semi-gloss over a dark finish or matte over a light colored finish might do the trick.
When I tried to use matte finish over black it made the "black" look like gray--and was not satisfactory in my opinion. I only use matte finish on lighter colored woods.
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Thanks for all the good advice. I didn't know about the 200 hour rule. But I have also seen that finishes harden over a long time. I put a clear coat on a painted wall cabinet several years ago. After a month it was still a little tacky and I was really worried about it. But I forgot about it and when I took a look at it again a few months later it was as hard as a rock. For this project if it doesn't rub out well in a reasonable period of time I will just over coat with satin as others have suggested. The reason I asked this question in the first place is because I have only rubbed out evaporative finishes in the past. Pummice and Rotten Stone work great on a lacquer finish and I really like the look I can achieve. For these cherry tables I need a very durable finish and hence the Arm-R-Seal.
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I did this in the past. Used only gloss to build coats (usually around 5-6 coats of 50% diluted wipe on coats) and then I usually give it around two weeks (around 72 F most of the time at 50% RH) before rubbing out with Mirka synthetic mesh discs using a ROS. I use wax for lubrication. Always came out well for me.
