A White Oak call

[sharkathmi]

Greetings All,
Here is one that I finished up today.
I received several compliments on this style of turn so I made this one for a co-worker who wanted one made out of the closet rod





As always, comments welcome.

Thanks for lookin'.

M

[blacky]

Real nice.

[alscalls]

Doing good..what kinda finish is that?

[sharkathmi]

Al,
That is spray can Deft. I seen a guy using it on a YouTube video so I thought I'd give it a try. So far, I'm not happy. You spray it on and it looks great, but you check on it in 30 minutes and there are hundreds of very tiny bubbles in the finish, mostly over the deeper grain pores. So then I'd have to chuck it up and sand them off with 600 and re-spray. Same thing Finally after several coats it quit doing it and I quit spraying it! I'm going to something else when the can is gone.
M

[Hawks Feather]

Don't mean to butt in, but if you are getting that many bubbles you either have a bad can, the can is cold, you are too close when you are spraying, or something similar.  I have used Deft on quite a few projects, not calls, but other woodworking and it usually works very well.  It is a lacquer finish and has the faults of lacquer, but I do like it for some projects.  If you want to have a little more filling of grain, use the gloss as it is a little "heavier" than the satin.

Jerry

[John_NY]

Your calls are looking good.
John

[alscalls]

I use DEFT as well matter of fact I think it was Jerry that recommended it to me. Something aint right. I usually put a thin coat on.......let it dry......buff it.....then spray it again and I am done. but I do it in a warm dry place. I have never seen bubbles.
You should maybe try a CA finish and see what you think

[HaMeR]

If you are turning the call in the cold then bringing it in to a warm area to spray I think your problem is in the wood. I found this out the hard way on a whole entertainment center.  What happened was the garage was about 45* overnight. I fired up the heater for about an hour & went back out to check on it. Well I figured since it was so hot in there I was good to go. I put the poly on & went whistling back into the house. About 4 hours later I went out to re-coat & was met with thousands of bubbles everywhere!! So I got my book out & found that as the wood was warming up it was releasing air. The air was expanding. I brought the whole thing into the house & put it in an unused bedroom upstairs for 2 days. I knocked the bubbles off with 0000 steel wool & re-coated with no more bubbles. HTH

[sharkathmi]

Jerry,
Thanks for the heads-up. I think the problem is solved. It's probably a combination of everything Jerry mentioned. I am doing this in the garage and I'm guessing it's only 50 degrees out there. I have to wear a coat to turn. It's possible I may be spraying a little too close too. About 12" in thinking. The other issue is I am bringing the call into the house after I spray it. That would explain the air expanding causing the bubbles. On the next one I'll leave it in the garage and let it dry out there and see what happens.
Thanks everyone for chipping in and offering advice. i appreciate it.
M

[Jimmie in Ky]

When working with oak you have to use a sanding sealer no matter th project be it entertainment center or a call. The tyloses in the wood hold a great deal of air no matter the temp. Finish seeps in and air seeps out leaving the bubbles. You can actually blow air through a chunk of red oak like a straw. Jimmie

[WhiteHare]

Having painted for a number of years "I don't apply a finish unless air temp is above 50".  If air temp is there so is the work piece temp.  (Air temp meaning where I am finishing my projects)  Everything everyone else said is also true. 
12 inches away for spraying shouldn't present a problem, unless you go too heavy. Most products recommend 6-10".  Like alscalls said, "thin coat".  Several thin coats allowed to dry at least 30 minutes between coats would even be better.  The first few coats seal it allowing the succeeding coats to do their job.  Jimmie has it all together, "use a sanding sealer", especially on deep grained woods like oak.  Also, make sure your project is clean and free of dust.  Deft says you should wipe down with a rag soaked in thinner.   Make sure you let that dry completely before applying finish.

[sharkathmi]

Thanks Guys,
Jimmie, can you recommend a sanding sealer that will be compatible with Deft Spray?
I have two different kinds of watco in the garage that I use on the canoe seats.
And I think I have some "Spar" that is so old is may not be any good.
I think I remember reading that a sanding sealer is nothing more than varnish that is thinned out...right?
Whitehare,
I'm like a kid in a candy store right now!! The garage is the only place I have to work and varnish.
It would kill me to not be playing with that lathe right now.
I guess I could always turn the Wood and finish them when it gets warmer. There's a thought.
I'm probably guilty of going right past the thin coat and moving on the a heavy coat...just because it looks so darn shinny!
I have to admit, I'm still feel a little "rushed" to finish a call, just so I can look at it, show my wife and post some pics of it.
I'm sure I'll settle down after a make a few more.

Again Guys, thanks for the advice. It's going to shorten my learning curve.

M

[alscalls]

I fight the same problem with the cold sometimes.....I store my wood in the warm after drilling and also store the deft in the same room...Warm.
Then when I work the piece to what I want I take it back to the warm room for at least overnight.
Then I spray Deft in the shop and its back to the warm for drying. Kina a pain but it works.
Preparing a board for putting your call on for Spraying, moving and drying is a must. Or risk dropping the call while moving.

[HaMeR]

If you have an area in your basement away from pilot lights you can leave the call down there overnight like Al does & spray it down there. Either way the woods gotta be warmed up. I think all sanding sealers are compatible with all finishes. I could be wrong tho.

[Jimmie in Ky]

Defy makes one , sanding sealer that is. You can also wet sand the piece with 400 or higher grit and linseed oil or olive oil. Just be sure and give it plenty of drying time. You should be able to get these at any hardware store. Jimmie

[sharkathmi]

Thanks Jimmie!!