Finishing as you go along

[Don Case]

I've seen that most people apply some kind of finish, shellac or poly or something, as they are building. I tried that and noticed today that I knocked a couple of pieces off because PVA doesn't stick well to shellac. On one hand you want the finish to stop dirt and dust from building up but on the other you can't glue anything to the finished sections. How do you guys deal with this?

 

[Y.T.]

I NEVER use any oily finishing substances. I use ONLY acrylic pains and lacquers.

 

[Dave @W]

Not only shellac and poly wont provide a good PVA glue surface but I foung that CA glue wont stick to acrylic. Luckily it was only a couple of small pieces and the fix was simple - a few minutes of my time, sandpaper, reattach the part with CA then repaint. I suspect any other paints would have been just as poor for CA. What it boils down after some "deep thinking", is with PVA as wll as CA is that the wood pores are filled and all you are doing is gluing on the top of a smooth surface

 

[sleepyfish]

I use stains on parts before assembly and then finish coat when done. This way the glue doesn't fill the wood and block stain from penetrating ( clear spots ) and the stain still allows for glue penetration

 

[danielsje]

My experience is to use a polyurethane flat or matter finish as a sealer finish on most parts as I assemble them, and as a final finish overcoat. I use this finish over stain, acrylic paint, or natural wood. I also use this finish on Britannia metal although I rarely have bare Britannia parts…most all being blackened or painted. I use both CA gel and a PVA quick dry tacky glue on the poly coating and I have not experienced problems with the glues adhering parts properly. I tend to prefer MinWax water based stains and MinWax water based polyurethane (brush on or rub on). I also use basic hobby acrylic paints. Note that these products do not have oil residues. I always pre-coat a hull with the poly before applying copper tape plates and have had excellent results with the copper tape adhering firmly...no lift over time. So, just my experiences…