[tvance124]

An air conditioner would probably fix the problem. I put one in my place the other day and now I can stay in there all day...

[Jim OH]

Hey Thomp,
Why not just sand all the bubbles off the handles then super glue'em to your hand in the position you use to carve, Unless ya want to use your hand for anything else but carving, shouldn't be a problem LOL
Jim OH

[Thomp]

Originally Posted by tvance124

An air conditioner would probably fix the problem. I put one in my place the other day and now I can stay in there all day...

Ac is a future goal,

well today i dropped 10 degrees in my shop.
i removed a 3ftx3ft panel on the shady side of the shop and put a attic fan in front of it drawing in air. it dropped from 104f inside to 94f in minuets which was the outside temp, but caused one hell of a dust, grass seed and bug problem... tomorrow the project is cut the grass, and 7or9 10x10" vents to let it out 3" from the ceiling, thinking blowing out the hot higher air will help the most ,

alarchie, im thinking a preheating oven box/ somehow the metal tool box we made in high school with a wrinkle finish paint job keeps haunting my thoughts, as some means to equalize temp before hand, just using a heat lamp might work, we will find out soon as i have some patch sanding to do on this batch and re dipping.

rick ferry answered an email and said he just uses the spray to seal, in seattle hes definitely got fog and high humidity, but hes not dealing with this heat issue i think. besides my spray efforts has been shabby at best,

bob l,
i think a little of all the mentioned remedy's might help, but i think a single method is what i need to concentrate after next payday, im tapped out and have a supply list of
acetone
thinner
steel wool
heat lamps
etc.

jim o.
i heard pen turners use superglue for finish on some pens, but i could just see them results play out in my mind, something like bier rabbit and the tar baby..

[Jim OH]

Hi Thomp.
Seriously, I have seen the results of a couple of carvings finished with deft. The carver carried them through a rain shower when entering the building and didn't get all the water spots wiped off which resulted in some discoloration of the finish whick made a great carving look pretty bad. Don't think deft and moisture mix too well together.
Jim OH

[Thomp]

jim,

sounds like with all these remedy's and horror stories it would be better if i ground down the straight razor blades, then roughly finish sand the handles and bagged up "make your own straight razor carving knife kits".

it dang well would be a lot faster shop time...

my son in law said dip them in fiberglass risen mixed up.. i dont know?

[BRIAN D]

Tomp :One little add on thought, "I don't think customers buying your knives, will really value them more by you adding your DNA before selling them", quite a marketing ploy. Let us know if you resolve your challenge. BRIAN D.

[dryheat]

Thomp,
I’ve used Deft for years and on many projects, kitchen cabinets, chess boards, and probably 75 small projects. I’ve sprayed mostly but also brushed but never dipped. My first reaction to your problem is that the Deft right from the can is too thick. The first thing I would try is to thin it 50 % so it can flash dry quickly. It might be that, because it is so thick and the temperature and humidly so high the finish is drying, in areas, faster than others which could trap air. I’ve never dipped as a technique with Deft but have with some other finishes. Do you do the dip quickly and how long do you leave the handle submerged? Since Deft is a lacquer type finish I would think the process should done be as quickly as you can. I’ve found that several thin coats of Deft, sanded between coats with 600/800 grit, gives a much better finish than trying for one or two thick coats.
Nice job on the knives.

Ed

[Marvin Little]

I do not use Deft that much, except as a spray, but I know from experience that if I put clear brushon polyuruthane on too thick that it will flash dry on the outside and the still wet inside will remain milky instead of becoming clear. I can scrape it off several days later and the inside is still wet.

Instead of buying expensive 600-800 grit paper for sanding between coats you should try a browen paper sack. I save the heavy sacks that frozen foods are put in at the grocerystore. They do an excellent job of sanding off the small nibs between coats and as a final sanding and are much less expensive. Do not use any part that has writing on it.

If your grocerystore still has paper sacks they would be great for this.

Marvin Little
Pell City, Alabama

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Ed....check your private messages!

[falconer]

The only thing that I use is Deft to seal all my work and have never had a problem with it. You might try cutting it down to 50/50 Deft to thinner that way it will soak into the wood faster and better. On most of my large projects I do this to save on sealer and to make sure that the sealer gets in between the burned feather barbs and I always use at least three coats. On fish I can get away with as many coats as it takes to do the job. Also, I might suggest that you make sure that the wood surface is extremely clean as sometimes the oil from our hands can effect the finnish.


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