: Since you've gone to the trouble of using these nice woods is would be a
: shame
: to not let out their beauty.

: The finer the grit you sand with the more luster and depth will be revealed
: in the wood.

: Having made furniture for years I know I would always sand to at least 220
: grit
: to reveal the beauty of the wood. When I started building strippers the epoxy
: makers
: said to sand to 80 grit. I did this for years but was not happy with how I
: knew the wood could
: look if sanded further.

: After a lot of years of working with epoxy I know the stuff bonds very
: strongly even on surfaces
: I don't want it to, like formica bench tops.

: I called Kern Hendricks the boss at System Three and asked if they had any
: tests to suggest that
: sanding to 220 would cause a weak bond. They said they had not conducted
: tests on coated wood
: sanded to that grit. I know these epoxy makers are not furniture builders so
: I thought they might
: not realize the added beauty the wood would exhibit by the extra sanding. I
: suggested this to Kern
: and he said he didn't think the bond would be any weaker as long as the 220
: grit was not dull and
: burnishing the wood instead of sanding it. He said he had a nice piece of
: walnut he wanted to sand
: with 220 and coat with epoxy to see what I meant about the added luster of
: the wood sanded to this grit.

: I now sand all my strippers to 220 grit. I notice a great improvment in the
: depth and luster of the wood.

: Epoxy will absorb and bond very well with most woods when freshly sanded.

: Take advantage of some of the control you can exert over the epoxy and wood
: to ensure the best bond.

: Warm your shop and therefore your wood and epoxy to 85 - 90°. This will thin
: the epoxy for better
: penetration. Use slow hardener in the epoxy to give it more time to absorb.
: Make certain your shop
: temperature is dropping. This will cause air and resin to be sucked INTO the
: wood cells.

: Your wood will look great!

: All the best,
: Rob Macks
: Laughing Loon CC&K
: www.laughingloon.com

Thanks Rob, that's just what I needed to hear. The wood is so beautiful already that I didn't think it could be even more beautiful. But I'll get some 220 grit and go for a finer finish. The mesquite is outrageously curly figured and beautiful. I used 3/16" strips to cut down weight. Planning to start another Great Auk in a week and may use 100% mesquite. I've learned a lot building this first one and hope to eliminate a few mistakes I made on it. Had to cut a couple of glue joints between strips with a knife and lift low strips. I think I can take more care next time and eliminate some corrective work, which is a drag. Thanks again for your help, Glen