Now that my test boards are looking pretty good. Time to ready the wash-coat, so I mix equal parts, 3/4 cup of General Finishes High Performance ("HP") to 3/4 cup of water into clean pickle jar and using a stir stick, mix thoroughly.
I prep my garage, which has now temporarily become the spray room. Today Michigan's fall weather has cooled the air to about 40 degrees. Better get that portable heater going. Water-based finishes flow better in 60 to 70 degree temperatures, 70 is the optimum. I know, I know, its only the wash-coat, so temperature isn't too critical. Flowing out a wash-coat isn't the goal. Getting the wash-coat to soak into the wood is!
To clean the wood and raise the grain, I wipe down the exterior wood surfaces using a damp rag soaked in a mix of equal parts denatured alcohol and water. By mixing the denatured alcohol into the water, alcohol helps to speeds the dry so not to "over wet" the wood as you will with just plain water. Once the wood has dried, I scuff off the whiskers using 320 sandpaper and sand all my end grain to 600 grit, then clean the dust off (I did this already in my basement workshop)
Since my case is pure sapwood and knowing how thirsty sapwood is. I'm going to give it 2 good wet coats. Remember, we want a pretty good seal on the sapwood. Same goes for the Lowboy top even though its mostly heart wood. I don't want any chance of blotching, just in case I get heavy handed spraying the dye. Once the wash-coats have dried, a quick scuff with 320, then clean off the dust.
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