Lacquering Ebony

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I used wipe-on (Satin) poly on Ebony. First it looked good. Now, after the second layer, big whiteish spots appear on the surface. Tried to re-sand and applied poly again but no change. Strange, but on another Ebony parts of the ship there is no problem at all. Anyone?
Janos
 
Hi
May be a coat of sanding sealer first.
Like 007 said may be the first coat was not dry.
Some times when the varnish or enamels are still wet and the temperature changes from warm to cold it may go milky or white, that is if you are using a spirit based varnish.

Denis.
 
Janos I think the problem is the oil inherent in this wood. I think the spots are the oil leaking out. I would start over (sorry) and get the wood with nothing on it. Then wipe the entire piece with acetone. Dont miss anywhere! Let it dry and then perform this action once more. Let the wood thoroughly dry and then apply the finish. Ebony is a beautiful wood but very finicky. The oil in exotic woods can be very troublesome if not kept at bay.
 
Apologies if the following has been covered elsewhere. The finish is rarely the villain in a botched wood project. The only time I can think of is if the finish was allowed to freeze at some time prior to its application. Surface preparation is the key to a beautiful and successful finish. Skip this part and the results will be less than desirable. I've seen nicely put together models end up looking quite ugly due to the above. Sorry. This isnt a wood working class. Just trying to make a point. Guys will spend years on a model and just a few hours (if that) on the finish.
 
Hi Janos
I know this thread is a little old,but did you clean the Ebony with Acetone immediately prior to putting the Poly on?I have never had this issue.I have always wiped the Ebony down with generous amounts of Acetone prior to putting Polyurethane on.As I have found,this removes the oil in the Ebony present on the surface.If you leave it longer than the time the Acetone takes to evaporate,the oils inside this wood start to seep to the surface.

Kind Regards

Nigel
 
Thanks, Nigel. I did not try it with acetone (but I surely will next time) but I managed to get acceptable results with the Poly only.
And, having studied the photos in Hahn's book, I was glad :pto see the same 'bubbles' on his model too... Schadenfreude helps sometimes...
Janos
 
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