which cloth/ paper towel for on lathe finishes?

[nev]

Morning ladies and gents,
As the title says, which if any particular cloth / towel is best and where does one find it?

I know that (spinning) lathe + cloth = #-o so I use paper towel 99% of the time to apply finishes on the lathe. This morning I came across this on ebay which states the following...

....'Using anything other than 100 % cotton cloth; ieaper towels, synthetic wipers, terry cloth can cause damage. It is very important not to use any of these items or cloth that has a stitched edge or any surface texture whatsoever which could transfer to your work surface.'....

which I don't completely agree with but sort of makes sense to a degree. I am fairly sure that the texture of the application or removal cloth will have an effect on the finished product, so is there any particular cloth or towel recommended by anyone or do i stick to the kitchen towel and old tee shirts?

My 'finishes' collection at the moment amounts to Chestnut sanding sealer, melamine lacquer, HWO, Danish oil, BLO/CA on pens, Liberon burnishing cream, Hut friction polish, EEE ultrashine and Fiddes soft wax. And no not all at the same time before someone says it :roll:
What do the experts say?

 

[jpt]

I dont use cloth on a spinning piece, I have seen too many accidents in industry with people doing this.

I go to my local cleaning supplies company and buy a pack of 6 white paper towel rolls and use these for all finishes, dont use the blue ones as the colour can come out.

john

 

[Blister]

Material cloths are a NO NO for turning

I use white paper rolls for applying sanding sealer and initial wax , I have used blue as well , not noticed any colour transfer onto the workpiece

I also have a roll of fluffy type paper roll used for the final shine , not sure what its called but it came form my local boot sale :wink:

The link you posted seems a lot of money for not a lot of product ( But lots of nice words :lol: )

 

[KimG]

I have been using Chestnuts safety cloth, it will tear if it snags (quickly) but at the same time it imparts a very fine finish, I bought a pack of ten cloths in July, I have made numerous items and still have 6 cloths unused, but the 4 I have used are still performing well. I recommend anyone to have at least a pack of these, they are very good indeed.

Axminster have them here

 

[nev]

Material cloths are a NO NO for turning ...
The link you posted seems a lot of money for not a lot of product ( But lots of nice words :lol: )

I agree on both counts it was just the cloth statement that got the grey matter turning over.

I have been using Chestnuts safety cloth, it will tear if it snags (quickly) but at the same time it imparts a very fine finish, I bought a pack of ten cloths in July, I have made numerous items and still have 6 cloths unused, but the 4 I have used are still performing well. I recommend anyone to have at least a pack of these, they are very good indeed.

Axminster have them here

They look interesting and if only used for final finishes should last a good while. I take it they're 'softer ' than paper towel?

 

[Tazmaniandevil]

I use the blue "public lavatory hand towel" type paper. I have never noticed any colour coming out TBH, but I generally use either oil, wax or CA for finishing. When I first started out I tried using micro-fibre cloths (because I had a large packet of them) but learned the hard way what happens with spinning things and cloth.

 

[boysie39]

I would agree with JPT ,rolls from a cleaning supplier is the answer .Have used some blue ones and never found anything wrong with them .
Of course when I was turning Bog oak or Bog yew I always used toilet paper. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[Hesh]

I tend to use the extra large rolls from B&Q or Homebase that they have in the decorating dept's, not had a problem with it. It's reasonably soft and although around a fiver a roll it does last me a fair while.

steve

 

[KimG]

Yeah a lot softer Nev, best used for final as you say, not much good for applying friction polish, I would guess cotton would be best for that, a small piece.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

I must admit to using cloths to apply about 50% of my finishes and believe if used with thought there are no significant risks. I slow the lathe down, use the smallest piece of muslin or cotton possible, to avoid 'loose ends', and hold the cloth gently in my fingertips. In the infrequent event of a catch the cloth is pulled harmlessly from my grasp.
In my opinion the finish obtained from a soft cloth is superior to that obtained when using absorbent paper.

I also apply oil finishes using small disposable brushes, (which I clean for re-use in washing up liquid), before removing the excess with absorbent paper.

Regards Mick

 

[woodyturner]

Hi

I must admit to using cloths to apply about 50% of my finishes and believe if used with thought there are no significant risks. I slow the lathe down, use the smallest piece of muslin or cotton possible, to avoid 'loose ends', and hold the cloth gently in my fingertips. In the infrequent event of a catch the cloth is pulled harmlessly from my grasp.
In my opinion the finish obtained from a soft cloth is superior to that obtained when using absorbent paper.

I also apply oil finishes using small disposable brushes, (which I clean for re-use in washing up liquid), before removing the excess with absorbent paper.

Regards Mick

Same here except for very small items like pens or finials then I use tissue paper

 

[Neil Farrer]

Don't know about finishing my turnings with that ebay stuff but looks like it might be the business for removing the sanding sealer splashes from my glasses!

 

[=Adam=]

Could I use a normal kitchen roll (eg bounty) or would that soak up too much?

I have used the turning cloth as I was given some when I went to a show in the botanic gardens (bought friction polish at the same time) and they are good but I think they don't last too long so for the price they don't quite stack up (in my opinion).

 

[CHJ]

We have addressed this subject several times before, and it is a subject that is no less pertinent for being raised to the fore once again.

There is a thread based on some of my thoughts linked at the head of the safety stickies in an attempt to keep it current.

 

[nev]

Cheers Chas, some good sensible advice on that sticky.
Could I possibly humbly suggest changing the title of the stickies sticky to something like
'New to turning or the forum? READ THIS FIRST!' or something along those lines, and sticking it to the top of the page?
I only say this cos I've been here a year or two now and i dont remember ever clicking the link maybe its just me :roll: but the title 'sticky index' doesnt really grab my attention and theres plenty of must know info in there (obviously! or you wouldnt have made it sticky :wink: )
And while we're on the subject I'd just like to say thanks again to you and your cohorts for all the work you do.

 

[CHJ]

....Could I possibly humbly suggest changing the title of the stickies sticky to something like
'New to turning or the forum? READ THIS FIRST!' or something along those lines, and sticking it to the top of the page?

Thanks for the input Nev, as the forum is about to have a move around one way or another I'll try something different along those lines in the way of a title change, unfortunately Rules/Guidelines/FAQ's/Help links would appear to be those most ignored by new and some not so new members as a matter of course.

 

[Louise-Paisley]

....Could I possibly humbly suggest changing the title of the stickies sticky to something like
'New to turning or the forum? READ THIS FIRST!' or something along those lines, and sticking it to the top of the page?

Thanks for the input Nev, as the forum is about to have a move around one way or another I'll try something different along those lines in the way of a title change, unfortunately Rules/Guidelines/FAQ's/Help links would appear to be those most ignored by new and some not so new members as a matter of course.

Kind of like a manual, you only read them after you have played with the toy.

My father lost his hand when he was 18 years old cleaning a machine with a rag wrapped around his hand, the machine got started and dragged his wrist through a gear wheel, then due to gangrene they had to remove to just below the elbow.

It is sound safety advice but the problem will be getting people to read it, one option is to set post restrictions where users with zero posts can only post in the safety/ rules thread. You then include in the safety information (near the end) "Please post here to confirm you have read the safety guide to enable site wide posting privileges." Not sure if this is doable in your forum software of choice, it is in SMF and I used the technique to block out 99% of spam on one of my forums.

 

[tekno.mage]

As has been said, cloth plus rotating machines is bad. I personally use the cheapest plain white kitchen roll I can find. The ones with silly flowers etc printed on the are a bad idea as the coloured print can come off in your finish and spoil the piece. I find the blue workshop paper towel a bit too coarse for finishes. Cheap kitchen roll is softer and works ok for me.