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Is finishing an art form or a science? In my opinion, wood finishing is both.
The human factor in finishing undeniably plays an important role in any finishing process. However, the science of wood finishing may have a far greater impact on the process than many manufacturers realize.
In this industry there are many basic concepts of the science of finishing that are not taken into consideration or are misunderstood. For this reason, troubleshooting finishing problems is always a hot topic that results in a need for more discussion. In future issues of this publication, we would like to focus in on a wide range of finishing problems and troubleshooting topics that speak to the pain that is so often a part of the finisher's job.
Finishers may sometimes feel they need super-human powers to get a job done right. However, I can assure you that finishing does not require the skills of a magician. For every problem, there lies a root cause in the process.
I will be free to admit that finishing wood, a natural product, provides far greater challenges over consistent, man-made materials. Every tree that grows has a unique set of characteristics. It is easy to overlook varying wood densities, surface moisture content, mineral content, color and grain pattern of the wood. Add into the equation the multitude of coating formulations, coating technologies and environmental compliance regulations, and that makes the business of finishing wood rather complex. In the light of all these complexities, it is easy to understand why this industry experiences a high rate of finish failures and internal reworks.
What are the most common root causes of finishing problems? Certainly operator error and application-related problems are at the top of the list. But, before you point the finger at the finisher, it may be that your employee does not have sufficient product knowledge or operation-related training. Is the process correct or operator-friendly? Is the work environment sufficiently set up with correct lighting, etc. to allow the spray operator to be successful? Have the correct expectations of quality been identified along with how to achieve these goals using best practice standards? It is only when these questions are addressed and answered that application-related problems can be fixed.
Other finishing problems occur because of the inconsistency of the coating materials. Color, viscosity and gloss variables often result in costly rework and repair. When performing finish failure analysis, I am often amazed at the diversity of unique chemistry problems that lead to finish failure. Thankfully, coating related problems do not account for a high percentage of the total finish failures.
In the upcoming issues, I will be choosing a wide variety of finishing problems on each topic. I will describe how to identify the problem, troubleshoot the root cause of the problem and explain how to correct the problem. If you encounter a finishing problem that you would like to submit to be featured in the magazine, please send a detailed description of your problem along with a generic formulation on the finishing schedule and materials used, and your contact information. If possible, sending a digital picture to us may be helpful in troubleshooting your problem. We may not be able to respond to every request; however, we would like to hear from you on topics that are of general interest to the industry.
Ed. note: Phil Stevenson is the founder of the American Wood Finishing Institute in Vineland, N.J. Please send your questions by e-mail to AWFI@comcast.net, or by mail to:
Finishing Magazine
Attention: Jackie Roembke
1233 Janesville Ave.
Fort Atkinson, WI 53538
author: By Phil Stevenson