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My Homemade (ultimate iMac) Desk
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dragonmaster
macrumors member
Just read though all the posts so far and would have to agree that it looks amazing and i can't wait to see the final result.
I've just got myself an iMac but have to have it on a cheap desk because i'm a student with no money at all. Never mind.
DaN
I've just got myself an iMac but have to have it on a cheap desk because i'm a student with no money at all. Never mind.
DaN
iJohnHenry
macrumors P6
It's funny you should mention that; my employer (Canada's largest financial institution) recently offered me a position in their Toronto office. I made a pact with myself: if another conservative wins the presidency, I'm taking it.
Hey guys! I'm back...
Sorry it has been so long, but It has been a very crazy week with the desk. I started adding layers of finish-coat lacquer and it didn't turn out quite as planned. 🙁
Lacquer is the clear coat that goes over the stain which protects the wood and really makes the wood "pop!" Problem is... when I applied the lacquer in my garage we had a cold front move in and the temperature of the garage went down way to fast. Because of this, I didn't get a good coating. It didn't spread well, it kind of just clumped to itself leaving thick spots and thin spots. Unfortunately, since I had never applied a clear coat before and because my 'teacher' wan't working with me further since I had the desk at home, I didn't realize that this would cause the rest of the coats to be bad as well regardless of temperature, I ended up putting about 5 coats on before I realized I couldn't fix the problem.
Needless to say... It is a bit frustrating when you're expecting to start using the desk one day, and a 2 weeks later you're no closer to being done! But, it gets worse. I tried to think of a way to get the lacquer off of the desk, and settled on using a lacquer thinner chemical, which worked brilliantly. It all came off perfectly, but I had some stain spots to patch before I added lacquer again. I stained the spots, wiped them clean, let it dry over night, and then started applying the second attempt at lacquer.
Unfortunately though, this time I must not have gotten all of the stain wiped off or the thinner had loosened it up a bit, because when I started applying the lacquer, the stain from below started to mix with the lacquer (an effect kind of like oil/water mixed... and obviously the second attempt was equally as doomed as the first.
So, here I sit now in the exact same spot I was almost 2 weeks ago. A stained table with no clear-coat. I am convinced that 'finishing' is the hardest part of woodworking now. It is so finicky!
Anyway, I am considering moving forward with a few different options. First, is a polyurethane aerosol spray. This will hopefully be easier to get even than the brush on lacquer, but it also won't be nearly as thick and nearly as protective. I am also not sure I can get a consistent coating with the little can.
The second option is something that I found on the internet called 'Mirror Coat' which is used as the surface for lots of different bars. Its a very durable material, and you use a torch to smooth the surface, so that is cool! Check out the link and tell me what you think... I am at my whit's end!
Sorry it has been so long, but It has been a very crazy week with the desk. I started adding layers of finish-coat lacquer and it didn't turn out quite as planned. 🙁
Lacquer is the clear coat that goes over the stain which protects the wood and really makes the wood "pop!" Problem is... when I applied the lacquer in my garage we had a cold front move in and the temperature of the garage went down way to fast. Because of this, I didn't get a good coating. It didn't spread well, it kind of just clumped to itself leaving thick spots and thin spots. Unfortunately, since I had never applied a clear coat before and because my 'teacher' wan't working with me further since I had the desk at home, I didn't realize that this would cause the rest of the coats to be bad as well regardless of temperature, I ended up putting about 5 coats on before I realized I couldn't fix the problem.
Needless to say... It is a bit frustrating when you're expecting to start using the desk one day, and a 2 weeks later you're no closer to being done! But, it gets worse. I tried to think of a way to get the lacquer off of the desk, and settled on using a lacquer thinner chemical, which worked brilliantly. It all came off perfectly, but I had some stain spots to patch before I added lacquer again. I stained the spots, wiped them clean, let it dry over night, and then started applying the second attempt at lacquer.
Unfortunately though, this time I must not have gotten all of the stain wiped off or the thinner had loosened it up a bit, because when I started applying the lacquer, the stain from below started to mix with the lacquer (an effect kind of like oil/water mixed... and obviously the second attempt was equally as doomed as the first.
So, here I sit now in the exact same spot I was almost 2 weeks ago. A stained table with no clear-coat. I am convinced that 'finishing' is the hardest part of woodworking now. It is so finicky!
Anyway, I am considering moving forward with a few different options. First, is a polyurethane aerosol spray. This will hopefully be easier to get even than the brush on lacquer, but it also won't be nearly as thick and nearly as protective. I am also not sure I can get a consistent coating with the little can.
The second option is something that I found on the internet called 'Mirror Coat' which is used as the surface for lots of different bars. Its a very durable material, and you use a torch to smooth the surface, so that is cool! Check out the link and tell me what you think... I am at my whit's end!
Well, I talked to someone today who sprays lacquer on all of their woodworking projects, so I think I am going to take the desk over to their place tonight and see what we can get done. Finishing is apparently not my forte', so I'm not going to try and ruin it further.
This will actually be good as I will get to learn yet another skill! I will try and take photos of the process if I can, but no promises. Regardless though, finished photos of the desk in the "den" are soon to come! I can't imagine not having this all wrapped up by the weekend, but we will see!
Wish me luck! 🙂
This will actually be good as I will get to learn yet another skill! I will try and take photos of the process if I can, but no promises. Regardless though, finished photos of the desk in the "den" are soon to come! I can't imagine not having this all wrapped up by the weekend, but we will see!
Wish me luck! 🙂
ButtUglyJeff
macrumors 6502a
What is the base of the stain you used. Is it a "lacquer stain", or something like Minwax, which is mineral spirit based. The stain should determine what finish is best.
I used to be a coating specialist for a paint manufacturer, and you peaked my interest.....................
I used to be a coating specialist for a paint manufacturer, and you peaked my interest.....................
The stain is an oil based 'gel stain'. I used a gel stain to elminiate excess 'blotching' on the Cherry wood, which is known to produce such an affect.
savar
macrumors 68000
Well if you're using a journaled system, then the file system won't be permanently corrupted.
Still, I agree with the sentiment. If you're building the "ultimate" desk, it would probably have to include a UPS 🙂 The low end ones are pretty cheap and would give you enough reserve time to safely shut down the OS. I don't know which ones play nice with Macs though.
By the way, I love DIY. Great thread.
ButtUglyJeff
macrumors 6502a
Gel stains are very workable, but are mineral spirit (paint thinner) based. I wouldn't recomend lacquer, for the simple reason of solvent compatability (lacquer thinner : paint thinner). Its just like trying to put your OS X disc in a Dell, and hope something happens.😉
Anyways a polyurethane would be a much better choice considering whats already on the wood. The only downfall being the longer dry time/recoat time.
Good luck.
Thanks for the advice. I will be spraying the desk either tonight or tomorrow night with (I think) a polyurethane based spray. We will see how it goes, and I will post photos as soon as I can.
Disaster strikes again. For some reason... whatever spray we used interacted with the remnant lacquer that was on the table (even though it was very little) and I was left with a fishscale-looking finish. Absolutely horrible.
I don't know what we're going to do now... maybe sand it all down again and start staining from scratch. I am pretty deflated at this point. I shouldn't have tried to apply clear-coat myself. Big mistake. If I would just have had it sprayed the first time, I could hvae been done several weeks ago. 🙁
Daveman Deluxe
macrumors 68000
Yeah, sounds as though sanding is your best bet. It'll take time, but it will be worth it to get the job done right. I can't wait to see it! 😀
ButtUglyJeff
macrumors 6502a
That incompatable solvent thing strikes again. I'm sorry. I should have told you to do a mineral spirit wipe down before going with the poly. Polyuethane is sensatative to contaminants, even more so than lacquer.
I think you're going to get intimate with a sander now............
I think you're going to get intimate with a sander now............
EvanLugh
macrumors 68000
+1
The hard work is certainly paying off for you though, you have a little fan base! Why don't you get a few old blocks of wood and test it first, before putting it on the masterpiece?
Disaster strikes again. For some reason... whatever spray we used interacted with the remnant lacquer that was on the table (even though it was very little) and I was left with a fishscale-looking finish. Absolutely horrible.
I don't know what we're going to do now... maybe sand it all down again and start staining from scratch. I am pretty deflated at this point. I shouldn't have tried to apply clear-coat myself. Big mistake. If I would just have had it sprayed the first time, I could hvae been done several weeks ago. 🙁
Sand it down and apply clear polyurethane. Apply liberally with a brush and let it sit for 24 hours, sand with fine grit and apply another coat.
AppleMatt
macrumors 68000
Absolutely fantastic achievement so far, I'm sure many here are very jealous of your abilities.
Foreseeing a chemical reaction when you have no such prior experience is not something to hang onto. Whilst it may well be a lot of work now, I am confident that not only will you resolve it and achieve an excellent finish, months after it is done the extra time spent now will fade away (as it does when you have decorators that overrun, a washing machine delivery that keeps going wrong etc).
AppleMatt
Foreseeing a chemical reaction when you have no such prior experience is not something to hang onto. Whilst it may well be a lot of work now, I am confident that not only will you resolve it and achieve an excellent finish, months after it is done the extra time spent now will fade away (as it does when you have decorators that overrun, a washing machine delivery that keeps going wrong etc).
AppleMatt
I think sanding it and starting the coating over is your best bet. Either that or removing the top and putting a new top back on (however you'd probably still need to deal with the legs and side?).
Can't wait to see it setup and working.
Can't wait to see it setup and working.
brad.c
macrumors 68020
You're absolutely right—the finishing is the finickiest part of the process. Too many of my projects end up being painted because I don't trust my staining/coating skills. As I say to my wife, I do the carpentry, she does the finishing.
Don't worry about the end result: I'm pretty sure things will work out for you in the end. You've done a fantastic job so far!
Don't worry about the end result: I'm pretty sure things will work out for you in the end. You've done a fantastic job so far!