Cloth for varnish

[Em Tee]

Hello all. I'm a full on novice to finishes, and was wondering what type of cloth to use for applying a varnish? Are there any brands you all trust? Thank you for your time.

[Dale Ludewig]

What kind of "varnish" are you referring to. If it's a standard type oil based varnish, you don't use a cloth. You use a brush or spray it.

[Em Tee]

I'm using an oil based polyurethane dilution on bamboo. I've read best application is by cloth.

[Walt]

I like the Trimaco Wonder Rags.

[mikeyb2]

Finishes such as Tru-oil, and probably other oil based ones can be applied with paper shop towels.(typically the blue ones)

[John Bertotti]

I use white cloths, any without lint. Old Tube socks, baby diapers, t shirts, even some paper shop towels, to start with. As I build a finish I move to softer materials. I tend to finish with the process I used to spit shine my boots in the Marine Corp. The only real difference is letting things dry between. Boots I could do in a short amount of time all at once then touch up a day later but wood I tend to give time between coats. I'm no pro and I have never er sprayed on a finish. Only brushes and cloths.

[JeffLearman]

I tend to finish with the process I used to spit shine my boots in the Marine Corp. The only real difference is letting things dry between. Boots I could do in a short amount of time all at once then touch up a day later but wood I tend to give time between coats. I'm no pro and I have never er sprayed on a finish. Only brushes and cloths.

So, what's your spit-shine process?

I went to a Navy high school, sort of like pretend military. But the spit shine was real, and I got good at it after a year or so (and then couldn't figure out why I had trouble at first, since all it took was patience.) But I'm guessing my method was different than yours. Using cotton cloth like T-shirt, wrap a bit around my finger, wet it with saliva, rub it in the Kiwi polish being sure to get past the top thin dry layer, then rub on the shoe leather. As the shine starts to appear, rub in tiny circles. Use patience, but probably only takes 5-10 minutes per shoe, especially once a good shine has been achieved in days past. The result is like a mirror; you can clearly see the cracks between your teeth. With new shoes, it takes a few days, maybe a week, to get to the mirror finish.

I'm guessing your method is different, probably less time-consuming. Boots have a lot more leather than shoes, and a mirror finish is probably overkill for trudging through the desert or jungle.

Would a spit-shine process work for Tru-oil?

[Jim Hilburn]

Gilchrist uses chamois to do shellac.

[John Bertotti]

In the end it was all about surface prep and slow even applications being patient to polish each layer as needed. It is a bit different with wood, surface prep is different etc but the build process is the same. The video in the other finish thread shows it well except I don't spray. Just keep adding and polishing as I go. I may not use a cloth for the whole process sometimes I use modern products like micro mesh, I used got work for them and it is a great product, or other buffing compounds but generally you just have to be patient between coats. With our boots we could do it in a short amount of time, but it was the subsequent days of final polishing that made the difference between looks good and is a mirror polish. I actually stripped the boots and shoes first then melted my wax to apply it rubbing it in really good. Let it dry then go to the actual spit shining process you should be familiar with. In the end it was so much about adding more product but smoothing it out.

[j. condino]

Spit shining is a great analogy for finishing by hand, although there seem to be far too few folks who have experience with either.

Haven't any of you heard about "Stradivari's secret varnish rag formula?"

[Nevin]

Spit shining is a great analogy for finishing by hand, although there seem to be far too few folks who have experience with either.

Haven't any of you heard about "Stradivari's secret varnish rag formula?"

They don't grow that variety of flax anywhere anymore so no more Stradivari linen, it can't be duplicated, a lost art.

[John Bertotti]

In the end it was all about surface prep and slow even applications being patient to polish each layer as needed. It is a bit different with wood, surface prep is different etc but the build process is the same. The video in the other finish thread shows it well except I don't spray. Just keep adding and polishing as I go. I may not use a cloth for the whole process sometimes I use modern products like micro mesh, I used got work for them and it is a great product, or other buffing compounds but generally you just have to be patient between coats. With our boots we could do it in a short amount of time, but it was the subsequent days of final polishing that made the difference between looks good and is a mirror polish. I actually stripped the boots and shoes first then melted my wax to apply it rubbing it in really good. Let it dry then go to the actual spit shining process you should be familiar with. In the end it was so much about adding more product but smoothing it out.

I can’t correct this post auto correct got me the last sentence should say in the end wasn’t so much about adding more product but smoothing it out. Small but important detail.