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Since I am doing woodworking and looking for information on finishing, sanding always comes up as a crucial step in the process, almost as a kind of holy grail of a nice finish. When I mention somewhere that I have problems with this and this stuff, be it a paint, stain, varnish, usually the very first comments include: "Did you sand?". I have found this article recently, let me know your opinions about it:
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(07-04-2023, 06:21 PM)Bencuri Wrote: Since I am doing woodworking and looking for information on finishing, sanding always comes up as a crucial step in the process, almost as a kind of holy grail of a nice finish. When I mention somewhere that I have problems with this and this stuff, be it a paint, stain, varnish, usually the very first comments include: "Did you sand?". I have found this article recently, let me know your opinions about it:
Sanding is optional if you prep the wood with hand planes, scrapers, etc and are applying a clear varnish, shellac, etc. But for a painted or stained project, there's no substitute for sanding to get a uniform absorption of stain and good bonding of paint.
John
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07-05-2023, 07:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-05-2023, 08:29 PM by Willyou.)
Today, you can make a choice and have an opinion which is better between planing, scraping, or sanding and in the end it really doesn't matter. It all ends up the same (or close enough). In the days before sandpaper, one didn't have those choices. If you wanted someting to be really smooth, your choice was planes and scrapers, and lots of elbow grease and back pain. I think it is pointless to discuss it or worry about it. If you want/need it smooth, make your choice and go with it. Or, leave it rough. These days, "sanding" is almost a generic term for making it smooth.
