‘Tis the season for giving, so today I thought we could exchange some ideas on the best wood finishing gifts you ever received…or gave.
Feel free to think outside the box.
It could be a tool or piece of equipment…
Or simply a piece of great advice.
Here’s are a few of my best wood finishing gifts from the past 30 years, and then I’d love to hear yours…
Piece of Equipment
About a year or so ago, I received a box from my good friend at Fuji Spray Systems.
The year prior I mentioned to him that I was always running tests of my EMTECH products with different types of delivery systems and spray guns.
Well, about six weeks goes by and I get a phone call from our warehouse manager saying…
“Jeff, this is Wally, we have a big box here for you from a company called Fuji. Did you buy a bicycle or something because the box is huge!”
Well, I wasn’t sure what to think, so I drove my car over to the warehouse and found a big ‘ol box with the words, “Fuji Spray” on the side of it.
I opened it and… lo and behold I find a Fuji Q5 turbine kit and a LX-20 gun inside with all of the accessories!
As you can image, I was completely surprised and very happy with the contents.
And I’ll be sharing more of what I received from Fuji with you in the New Year of 2021.
Piece of Advice
The best advice I ever received in a customer’s finishing department was and still is…
“Treat the wood with love when you finish it, because if you don’t, it won’t love you back.”
True story and truer words have never been spoken.
But enough about me…
I hope the above sparked some ideas for you.
What would you say is/are the best wood finishing gift(s) you ever received…or gave?
Please share your thoughts or read what others are saying in the comments section below.
And of course, Happy Holidays and best wishes for a great new year!
After 42 years of woodworking and finishing I would have to say that my gifts to finishing is my hands and My eye. I have worked for finish producers, furniture companies and private customers. I have used every type of applicator available. In the end my eyes and hands would apply the finishing touches.
Once I was asked to refinish a credenza by a polyurethane salesman for his mother. After delivery he challenge me that the finish I used was not polyurethane. I paid me but said he was going to have it tested by the company chemist. Early in life I worked for that company. Never heard from him again. Learned. That just get it on there and deal with it later.
I was faced with an indoors spray finish project and treated myself to a Fuji Mini-Mite 3 with a gravity feed gun. Not only did it meet all the requirements by keeping any over spray to an extreme minimum, the finish (Target of course) was consistently applied to mostly vertical surfaces. This would have been nearly impossible with my HVLP gun and compressor. Lastly, I have keeping myself sane during the Covid shut down by making little boxes, and this Fuji unit again made applying a superior finish to the inside of the boxes where dialing down the pressure was very beneficial when spraying into a small enclosed work piece. So sometimes, you just have to gift yourself.
Paul – Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Yes, the Fuji spray systems are all excellent investments for the Pro and high-end DIY finishers. Keep up the good work and check back with us in the next few weeks to learn more about Fuji Spray units.
-JW-
Just bought a minimite 5 platinum, arrived literally today, I also bought the 3m pps system for it based on advice and articles I read. Can’t wait to try it out, I haven’t used a finish sprayer since high school so imagine it will be a bit of a learning curve. Just bought a bunch of Target Coatings based on a recommendation from a friend, super excited for them to arrive. As I live in the North West I am going to work on building a spray booth which hopefully I have done about the time the coatings arrive!
Jerod — Nice! Glad to learn that you are on an excellent tack to a great wood finishing experience. Let us know if you have questions and keep us posted on your results.
-JW-
I am new and was just gifted a hvlp. Wondering how best to use your finishes with a Fuji SemiPro 2? Do I need a lot of thinning or will the semipro handle most of the finishes right out of the can?
Jay – Welcome to Target Coatings! You will like your new Fuji SP2 – it is a very good unit for high-end DIY use.
To obtain the best quality finish from the M-Series gun you will need to select the right air cap set based on the coating you will be spraying. I recommend that you review your air cap size that was supplied with the gun and give us a call to discuss in greater detail to ensure that you are using the right size for our sealers, clears and pigmented finishes. Call 800-752-9922
-JW-
Jay – Glad to learn that you are using a Fuji SP2, you will like working with it.
All Emtech finishes can be applied with the SP2. Ensure that you have the correct air cap set installed in the gun when using Emtech finishes.
I recommend 1.0mm for stains and thin sealers, 1.4mm for clear coats and 1.8 or 2.0mm for our primer and pigmented top coats. With the exception of our low viscosity sealers thinning may be required, so I recommend starting at 5% by liquid volume with basic tap water.
-JW-