Finishing ?

LosOsosCues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Ok I have what I hope is a very simple Q&A. I just wet sanded the below cue today and I have a few questions for the experts. Ok I know I need to respray the cue bacause there are a few small voids that did not get filled but there are also some small specs of white that showed up when I sanded. My questions are how do I get the white dots to disapear before I respray the cue. Do I have to sand them all the way down or what. My other question is how can I prevent this from future cues I spray.

Thanks all
Dustin Cookson
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LosOsosCues said:
Do I have to sand them all the way down or what.
More than likely unless they will clean off using naptha or lacquer thinner.

My other question is how can I prevent this from future cues I spray.
Install a moisture filter on your compressor, clean the cue properly before spraying first coats and quit wet sanding.
 
did you seal it with CA?if you did and that is waht the white spots are,you will have to sand it all the way down.

if they are from spraying the paint too thick same senario.sometimes if you get the paint too thick you get those little white pin holes,or holes that turn white after sanding and polishing.even if you wipe them with solvent they come right back.
 
As per the pics, they look like clearcoat in holes. When you wet sand , it turns the clear to a white milky liquid IF you sand on it to long.
To stop , keep water clean and spray the paper down frequently when wet sanding as well as the cue. DO NOT spin the cue when prepping between coats. Sand with the grain by hand to work down any small holes or imperfections. By spinning the cue while wet sanding , it heats the cue up and causes you to jam the white residue into the holes or voids.
To get rid of the white, mineral spirits , gum eraser works well, a soft bristled brush , all work well with reducing it. Also a crayon rubbed over the spots pulls it out with the wax from the crayons, try to use similar color of crayon for the type of wood though. Also , watch your air pressure of the gun. I have found that 40 to 45 psi at the tip is best for me and my type of clear. I use a hvlp gravity develbiss.
These are some of the lil tricks I know of to help you.
Hope it does,
Jim Lee
 
LosOsosCues said:
Ok I have what I hope is a very simple Q&A. I just wet sanded the below cue today and I have a few questions for the experts. Ok I know I need to respray the cue bacause there are a few small voids that did not get filled but there are also some small specs of white that showed up when I sanded. My questions are how do I get the white dots to disapear before I respray the cue. Do I have to sand them all the way down or what. My other question is how can I prevent this from future cues I spray.

Thanks all
Dustin Cookson

What I think you are seeing is the sanding dust from the finish getting into any small depression in the finish. You can sometimes remove these with a stiff brush that you poke into the depression. I have found that if you are respraying with the same material, the white will be dissolved and not be a problem.

You could test this by putting a drop of your spray material on a white spot and letting it dry. Then check and see if the white is still there.
 
Some of the others are right, it's sanding dust that has turned to white mud, when wet sanding. You can get rid of this by taking a tooth brush, with mineral spirits & scrub it out. Even if you don't get it all out, just wipe the cue down with mineral spirits JUST BEFORE you spray the next coats of clearcoat. ALL of the white dots will disappear...JER
 
Finishing

All the previous posts are good advice. I would recommend working on your sealing technique some more. Those deep pits will do nothing but cause you heart ache in the long run. If you are just using auto clear, eventually it will shrink and the pits will reappear. I would also suggest really good lighting at your sanding station. One missed pit and you waste a lot time fixing it down the road. As was previously said, don't wet sand until you have a pitless finish.
 
BLACKHEARTCUES said:
Some of the others are right, it's sanding dust that has turned to white mud, when wet sanding. You can get rid of this by taking a tooth brush, with mineral spirits & scrub it out. Even if you don't get it all out, just wipe the cue down with mineral spirits JUST BEFORE you spray the next coats of clearcoat. ALL of the white dots will disappear...JER





I was also gonna say to use a tooth brush, as that seems to work best for me too.

Usually when I experience something like this It's not quite as defined as in the picture, and It mostly shows up in the areas that have a black background. If this happens when I'm sealing, then I usually sand anything out that looks like It will give me a hard time anyway, as a precaution, so as to cut the problem out early, because if it still gets locked into the finish after attempts to get it out, there's no getting it out later. short of sanding the finish off, and starting over.

I aggree with what steve mentioned too, good sealing technics are key. There should be no craters, and everything should be leveled out, before applying any kind of finish IMO. make sure you clean well in between each coat also, or the stuff will get locked into the finish. I use to use denatured alcohol to clean, because It did not melt the finish or some plastics as easily as thinner or spirits, but it does leave a white haze when it dries, and I am now using spirits to clean with. The main thing is not to keep wiping for very long, or it can start to burn in.

I've had the same type problems before too, and this is what has helped me. It seems like the more I encounter them, and have to deal with them, the easier it is to see It coming ahead of time.

Oh, I have filled the craters before with Ca Like Arnott mentioned, the only difference in how I do it is after applying a drop in the crater, I knock it down with a paper towel to cut down on some of the excess that will need to be removed to level It Out. The loc-tite brand Ca with the brush makes applying It alittle bit easier for me. I just dab alittle in the hole, wipe the excess and sand, sometimes I may have to hit It twice though because wiping it can pull some of the CA out of the hole til You get the hang of It, but It doesn't take long to do.


Greg
 
Big thanks to all of you guys for this thread. I'm just finishing up my spray box and will be making all of these mistakes over the next few day/weeks/months. Plenty here that I never thought of. I'm hanging a fluorescent right in that little bad boy's face.

Please proceed. let's go over leveling for stainless steel joints and wraps. I know we covered it recently by there were a few different techniques with dove cutters and I never quite discerned which one was best.
while wer'e here. I hate go grovel.
 
dchristal said:
Big thanks to all of you guys for this thread. I'm just finishing up my spray box and will be making all of these mistakes over the next few day/weeks/months. Plenty here that I never thought of. I'm hanging a fluorescent right in that little bad boy's face.

Please proceed. let's go over leveling for stainless steel joints and wraps. I know we covered it recently by there were a few different techniques with dove cutters and I never quite discerned which one was best.
while wer'e here. I hate go grovel.




I have the spinner built for My booth, and It's pretty much ready to go. Now I need to start on the box. I have a guy working on setting me up with a belt driven blower, when I get that, then I'm gonna design the box around It.

I was thinking of building a light in My box too, but need to find something that I can seal off well to keep the fumes out.

Greg
 
Dustin, If you apply the second coat of finish (assuming auto clearcoat) before the first coat has had time to gas off (about 20 min) then you will get what they call flashing. The gas forms tiny bubbles under the second coat and are very hard to see but when you sand the finish you open these bubbles and they fill with the white sanding dust. It is very hard to get the wet dust out of the bubbles once they have filled in. If they are large enough and not very many of them then use a very fine point to dig out the white stuff and fill it in with some clear coat. If they are very small and a lot of them you are better off sanding it down to the wood and starting over.

The photos you posted show there were small voids between the points and the forearm.
These are sometimes hard to see before sanding the finish.
When wet sanding, the water and sanding dust (white goo) will fill these in.
Dig out all the white stuff with a fine pointed instrument and apply a tiny drop of clear coat to fill it in.
Let it set and sand it flush before applying the next coat of clear.

I have had my share of problems with finish.
Good equipment helps a lot, an air filter is mandatory, and use the proper activator for the temperature you will be spraying at.

Hope this helps and good luck with your finishes.
 
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