Third Coat Applied

Finishing wood isn't a quick project! No instant gratification here.

First, we did a lot of initial sanding on all the pieces, then wiped them down with a turpentine solution to remove all the sanding dust. Next, we applied the finish. Then we waited overnight for the finish to dry enough for the next round of sanding, wiping, and finishing. With each round, as the finish gets harder and the wood is better sealed, the sanding is easier.

Some pieces will be adequately protected with 3 coats of finish (we applied that coat this morning). Those will get one final round of sanding (and probably a quick wipe with turp), then they're done.

Others, particularly the pieces that actually touch yarn or shuttle, will get 4 coats, plus more diligent final sanding. There really aren't many of those pieces: the 6 bars of the sectional beam, the shuttle race, the fly-shuttle box pieces.

I'm getting very familiar with all these pieces, and know where most of them will be once assembled. Here are the larger ones:



And the medium ones:



And a whole raft of smaller bits, many suspended from a makeshift rack:



Some of the pieces are fairly easy to identify:



That's the front left corner piece to which the sandpaper beam and auto-advance attach.

In this house, we recycle margarine tubs, and DH uses them in the shop to hold things like finish, turpentine, and the like. They also make handy places to set newly finished parts to dry, because the wet finish doesn't seem to stick to the narrow plastic rim of the tub.