Cedar table

400 grit if fine as long as used lightly and rubbed together as instructed.
More to the point is what kind of tung oil is being used and how long was it left to dry.
The point of shellac on soft timber is exacty to prevent this happening,
I, think you may have sanded too hard in spots or the tung oil isnt drying.
You should only need about 3 coats max. and should let dry at least 24 hours between coats.
I did suggest cabots Danish Oil not tung oil, but unless the tung oil is pure
as opposed to a the usually commercial product, the effect should be much the same.
Dont worry, as ern says, let it dry for a week and then take another look.
Once its thouroughly dry, you should be able to sand it back and put another coat on.
And I have never seen a professional restorer, and i know a few, to use a sanding block, when cutting back a finish, you cant "feel"
this finish through a block.

Astrid

There are many finishing products on the market that state they are tung oil based but rarely do they contain tung oil. The majority of the product contains poly with driers and oil finish made from plant extracts not necessarily tung. There is only one tung oil and it comes in raw or pure form which does not contain any driers, which explains the long wait for drying. To speed up drying, it is combined with pure orange oil for wood finishing; the more orange oil the quicker the drying time.
Using a sanding block for finishing flat surfaces is a personal preference, and also less tiring for large surfaces when used properly using long strokes. Professionals and non professionals use them; you cannot feel a finish, you can only see it with correct lighting and doing a certain test. I have used this method for many years without any problems and only getting better. :)

I agree with Evan, there are many finishers and repair people that use sanding blocks to keep the sanding flat, it prevents cupping, its also used for sanding fillers, burn in sticks, epoxies, primers, sealers, and clear coats.

Maybe, you ought to give it a try.

may i point out that when restoring an old table, the surface is very often not entirly flat, this is particularly true with australian cedar, which is prone to cupping,or bowing
there are usually at least a few dents etc.
If you use a sanding block, you will sand of the finish more on the raised areas more than the cupped areas.

Also tables of this vintage often have a curved edge. If you use a block here, you will leave a hard line of raw timber at the edge.

By all means, use a block when sanding timber, but not when cutting back polish on an old table

Astrid

When sanding in between polishes or sealers we call that "scuff sanding" its a light hand sanding to remove any nibs, dust, or dry resin particles.

All the sanding machines have a flat pad to keep the surface flat and level, to keep it true to level, the hand cannot do that, a sanding block can.

:jacked:Sorry about this slight hijack but might as well get it said whilst it's mentioned elsewhere.

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Now get a piece of 400 grit sand paper, cut it in half and rub the two rough sides together this is to knock off any rough grains that might scratch you polish.

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:huh::?

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400 grit if fine as long as used lightly and rubbed together as instructed

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:hmm:Why on earth would you rub it together. All that does is to give you 2 pieces of blunt abrasive.

If you use really good abrasive paper there won't be any rough grains.

Theory used to be rub 2 x 120 grit together and you get 240 grit, 2x 400 = 800 grit etc. RUBBISH all you get is a heap of useless blunt abrasive. Use the right grit and if you need to make sure there are no rough grains rub it on a bit of timber. It's not cheap so don't waste it. If it costs less than AU$1 it's probably not really good abrasive.

Cheers - Neil :)

When working on a surface that should be flat and maybe isn't, I always use a light angled across the surface. In fact when final finishing of any flat work I use it. It picks up imperfections far better than the normal vision can and enables you to see whether an area is being oversanded. As to the use of sanding blocks, it has been stated so many times that the use of one means that the abrasive paper lasts longer, but more importantly it gives a better finish. Hand sanding with no support for the abrasive paper often results in uneven sanding, fingers apply a remarkable amount of pressure over a very small area compared with a block I use the small cork sanding blocks and in fact have three of different sizes. The small sanding blocks are a good compromise between hand sanding and a "handled" sander I have a "handled" hand sander but on an old table I would not use it because it lacks "feel", and can result in too much pressure being applied. I know this comment does not apply to "experts", but it is important to let the paper and not pressure do the sanding.


Jerry

Everyone is entitled to my opinion

most people do go to the hardwear shop and buy poor quality sandpaper, unless thet are expert finishers that know better.
when i get my high quality stuff, i buy it in bulk and its a 15k trip.

Does Anne know what to buy or where to buy it.?
on balance i think she probably went to the hardwear shop.

Astrid

Astrid,

Agree with you about using good quality abrasive "paper". I don't use it often but would be interested to know name of your supplier..

Jerry

Everyone is entitled to my opinion

Jerry,
The brand is SIA and the supplyer is Magnetic Abraisives,
286 Neerim Rd, Carnegie,Melb
PH 95716811

astrid,

Oi thank 'ee kindly.


Jerry


Everyone is entitled to my opinion

Astrid - And yet again you miss the point.:doh: You may do it, but you should not rub 2 pieces of abrasive together. Even if it's cheap stuff. Waste of time and abrasive.

jerryc - Most paint shops will have good abrasive paper, Hermes, SIA, Norton, 3M, etc. best bet is to go for the Wet n Dry although you should also be able to get really good grade no fil paper from any paint shop that sells to the automotive trade.

Cheers - Neil :U

Neil,

Thank you for your information. As I said earlier, I do not use very much sandpaper at all, even on finishes. However I hope I'm not a know all.

My philosophy is simple. I'll gather any information I can when it's available, and only offer advice on things I have personally worked on.

Jerry

Everyone is entitled to my opinion

A good and worthy philosophy Jerry - One more of us should use.

Cheers - Neil :2tsup:

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Originally Posted by astrid

most people do go to the hardwear shop and buy poor quality sandpaper, unless thet are expert finishers that know better.
when i get my high quality stuff, i buy it in bulk and its a 15k trip.

Does Anne know what to buy or where to buy it.?
on balance i think she probably went to the hardwear shop.

Astrid

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Anne asked for advise about applying a finish on her table and I responded to her request. The manner in which I responded was according to my experience and positive results. Rubbing 400 grit paper against 400 grit paper doesn't do anything for me; it only stuffs it up. As Neil stated if the paper is of high quality, it will not require to cut back any high spots. You on the other hand state that you use high quality paper and rub it against itself; why?
You can purchase high quality papers in hardware shops, eg, Norton, 3M, Festo, Bosch and also auto parts retailers.
No, I don't know if Anne knows what to buy and where to buy it; that question was not asked by her.