jovially.top · workshop ledger
The finish vocabulary used in the bench notes, defined plainly.
The two families behave differently in ways that decide whether a job takes two hours or eight. Gel stays where you put it and works slowly; solvent flashes off and works fast. Choosing wrong is the most common reason a first refinishing job goes badly.
7 September 2026 #stripper#solvent#gel#dcm#safety
A grit sequence is not a list of abrasives to own, it is a chain of scratch sizes where each step exists only to erase the one before. Break the chain and you spend longer sanding, not less.
10 September 2026 #sanding#abrasives#grit#scratch-pattern#random-orbit
A wiping varnish is an ordinary oil-polyurethane varnish thinned far enough that it can be applied with a rag. It builds slowly and it cannot be applied too thickly, which is exactly why it is the finish most likely to come out well on a first attempt.
13 September 2026 #varnish#oil-poly#wiping#film-finish#sheen
French polishing is shellac applied with a cloth pad instead of a brush, in very thin coats, over many sessions. The technique is learnable in an afternoon. What takes years is reading when a surface is ready for the next stage.
23 September 2026 #shellac#french-polish#pad#rubber#film-finish#repair
Wood filler replaces missing timber. Grain filler closes open pores so a film finish sits flat. Using one where the other belongs is the single most common reason a refinished top looks amateur under a gloss finish.
2 October 2026 #filler#pore#grain#pumice#timbermate#refinishing
A white haze in a fresh lacquer coat is not a bad batch of lacquer and it is not dirt. It is water, trapped in the film, and it has a specific set of causes and a specific set of fixes, in a specific order.
10 October 2026 #lacquer#blush#moisture#spraying#humidity#retarder
Nothing on the bench matches that probe.
Stripped & Stained · [email protected] Refinishing information only — not professional, conservation or safety advice. Content is for general informational and reference purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.