Brushing: A Counterpoint
I hate brushing finishes. I don’t dislike it, or prefer not to do it. I flat out despise it.
First, you have to get the thickness of the finish right. Some finishes aren’t supplied at brushing consistancy; even those that are often recommend you dilute 25% before actually applying. That means getting another container dirty, with more drips, plus stirring lots of air bubbles into it that you have to deal with later. And remember that you don’t want to transfer junk from your brush back into the finish can, so you have to pour out the finish into a separate container even if you’re not mixing anything.
Second, you have to deal with brushes. While Brian posted a lovely article about how to make this suck less, there’s no denying that it sucks. You have to kick out $15-$20 for a nice brush. Then you have to tug and make sure there are no loose bristles. Then you have to use the damn thing properly (more on that in a minute). Then you have to clean it. Then you have to clean some more. Then you have to keep cleaning, because it’s not actually clean enough yet, and if you stop now your brush will be ruined when the finish up near the ferrule (the metal part) dries. Then you have to dry it (making sure that the bristles are properly arrayed–hanging it from a hook is good; wrapping in the special velcro cardboard wrapper it came is probably better, but since you lost it already, never mind). Repeat this a few cycles (usually one in my case) and you’ll discover that you actually didn’t wash it well enough and it’s now ruined, at which point you may proceed directly back to step 1.
Third, you have to brush the stuff on. Brushing poses all sorts of problems, or shall I say, “technique-enhancing opportunities”. To put it another way, it’s hard. First, you’ve got to get the stuff on the brush, which requires some trickery of dip depth, swirl approach, de-drip, and other delightfulness. Then, you’ve got to get the stuff on the item in question. If you’re lucky, you’re slathering it all over a single, flat surface, with no sides or corners or curves or filligree or anything else that will cause the finish to drip and run. In reality, you often have to double back and “level” the finish, which basically means brush over everything again to smooth out all your prior mistakes.
Fourth, you have the bubbles. These come from stirring, shaking, mixing, dipping, and all the other realities of dealing with a finish in a can. Usually, but not always, the bubbles rise to the surface of the finish and pop, so you don’t get a finish that looks like frozen ginger-ale. Usually.
Finally, you have to recoat several times. Each recoat requires a re-stir, a re-clean, and a whole lot more re-annoyingness. If the stuff dries fast and you’re ABSOLUTELY SURE you’ll be around in time for the next coat, you can just put the brush in a Ziploc bag or wrap it in plastic wrap for a few hours. But if you forget about it overnight… forget your brush.
What’s the alternative? I try to use wipe-on or spray-on finishes for my work. Nearly any finish that can be brushed can be wiped; just dilute it with thinner until it’s about the viscosity of housepaint. You’re using cheaper applicators, you can throw them instead of washing them, it’s thinner so you have fewer problems with brushing and leveling, and it generally makes life much easier. You have to use a few more coats, though, since the stuff is thinner.
Consider tossing your brushes. You’ll thank me for it.
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