Polishing a stained figure

[Howie]

Hi folks,

I've put some a second coat of stain on my cat (drying in a cupboard right now so the real cats don't get it) and need to polish. I do everything by hand - no power equipment at all. All the reference I've seen to polishing has been with dremel-type rotary tools.

Can anyone recommend a hand-powered method of polishing the finished project?

Thanks!

-Howie

[uvawyo]

400+ grit sand paper or a paper bag works well
in my furniture finishing days it was reccomended to sand until sweat runs UP your arms

[AlArchie]

Try Minwax paste wax applied with a soft cloth, then buffed by hand with a terry towel

Al

[BobT]

Iam with uvawyo, nothing burnishes quite like an old wadded up paper bag.

[Claude]

Howie:
You said you put 2 coats of stain on...did you also put on a final finish such as varnish, lacquer, shellac, or an oil such as tung oil, danish oil, or ?? Or, did your stain include varnish in it such as Minwax Wood Finish? If not, then you need to put a final protective coat on over the stain to protect. Any of the above would work, but some would work better than others.

Once the final finish is dry, I agree with the others that a wadded up brown paper bag is a great way to buff off the dust particles that stuck to the finish and make it smooth. Following the paper bag, a fit of floor wax or colorless furniture wax, and buff with an old tee shirt.

Claude

[Dagwood]

i buff my wax coat with a finger nail brush can be picked up almost anywhere for around a buck..... this is if you plan to use wax... you may want to use a finish coat as Claude explained

[Old Codger]

I agree with Claude and Dwane! Nothing polishes like an old brown paper bag and a good quality floor wax...leaves the wood smooth, shiny and a real pleasure to touch!!!
Kenn