Finishing in the workshop...?

[brianhabby]

Hi everyone

Any ideas about where to apply a finish. How many people have a separate finishing room?

What are the issues surrounding finishing in a dusty workshop. I just completed a kennel for the cat out of some 3/4" ply scraps and because it is going to be stored outside (cats hate the rain) I gave it several coats of a satin polyurethane varnish to protect it.

To give me as dust free area as possible I first used an airline to clear as much dust off everything as possible - then left the dust in the air to settle and then swept the floor and left it again for everything to settle. Only then did I apply the finish, which seems to be okay.

I've soon to think about a finish for the mahogany tea trolly and I want this to be as good as I can get but I simply don't have any other space available for finishing.

Looking forward to your comments as usual

regards

Brian

 

[PowerTool]

Having the same dilemma (only one interior space) I normally complete an item,vacuum the workshop thoroughly,and leave the finishing until the next day.

Andrew

 

[Lord Nibbo]

Although I do have a seperate space where I could do finishes, I still do it in my workshop, the biggest problem I have found is not dust but temperature/humidity. I've been waiting now for two days for my second application of Danish oil to set on the HiFi units I'm doing, this morning I moved a fan heater in to help it dry. ](*,)

 

[dedee]

Depends how big the piece is. If small I use the kitchen. Place a small board on top of the hob and switch on the extractor to take the worst of the smell away.

Andy

 

[Terry Smart]

Interesting thread, this is one of the reasons most of our products are quick-drying or, put another way, have a short 'dust-free' time.

One thing I would ask you to bear in mind Andy is that if you're using a finish that has a flammable solvent in it, are you forcing the vapour from it past a non-flameproof motor? Whilst the risk is, at worse, very slight, I feel I'd be letting myself down if I didn't mention it.
I don't know a great deal about cooker hoods but wanted to mention it...

Another suggestion for small items could be to finish them on a board so you can pick them up, then put them in a box with a lid or something similar to protect them from any contamination if you want to do other things in the workshop.

Terry

 

[dedee]

Terry,
Thanks for mentioning that, the thought had never occurred to me. Finishing that I have none this way has been wax over oil and poly varnish.

As well as the problems of dust in the workshop trying to keep heat and humidity constant in the workshop while the finish dries is the problem.

Andy

 

[woodbloke]

If I'm varnishing I generally do that when any dust has settled out.... but allot of my finishing is wax over oil so the dust isn't too much of a problem. A dusty atmosphere is a real concern if work is sprayed and then I think that a separate finishing room is very desirable - Rob

 

[brianhabby]

Interesting comments. I like the idea of a box to place small items in. My immediate concern though is the tea trolly I mentioned. I am thinking of finishing it in a water soluble satin polyurethane because this is quick drying so should minimise any problems. I also want this piece to have a hardy finish.

What do you think?

regards

Brian

 

[martlewis]

I'm pretty lucky. Our dining room is in the conservatory. I do all my finishing in there. I just throw a cloth and a board on the table and I have a big finish table

It's also heated so solves the drying time problems.

As long as I'm producing something for her in doors on a regular basis she leaves me alone and doesn't complain about me using the dining room for days on end.

Martin.

 

[Fecn]

When I finished my baby changing station, I pinned a big dust sheet to the ceiling in the garage to create a curtain around my finsihing area and prevent any dust from elsewhere in the garage getting blown onto my work.

 

[cherilton]

I quiet often fill my spray gun with water and spray into the air around the workshop to make any airborne dust fall to the floor and also completely wet the floor to keep the dust down. Works a treat.