Follow immediately with the first coat of primer.
Sanding primer with steel wool.
Start with 120 grit sandpaper and work to finer grade sandpapers ending with 320 grit.
Synthetic steel wool creates an even silky smooth finish that s a joy to look at and feel.
Wipe the surface with a tack cloth to remove the dust.
Alternately use a piece of superfine 0000 steel wool to buff between shellac layers.
Sand any raised wood grain or uneven globs of shellac with 400 grit sandpaper.
The steel wool is very fine and will actually scrape off a very fine layer leaving a silky smooth finish often referred to as a hand rubbed finish.
Use 220 grit paper or fine sanding sponges to sand everything down once the primer has dried enough that it generates dust when.
I always use oil based primer on woodwork and cabinets so that i can sand it down to a super smooth feel before beginning my finish painting.
This is standard practice with any wood finishing job and is nothing out of the ordinary.
Think it was an etching primer.
Re coat and sand with 220 then 2 wet sands.
3 drys and 2 wets each round of sanding preceded by priming.
Sanding removes defects and levels ridges.
Without a smooth base you can t get a smooth finish.
That said sanding bare wood beforehand to create a smooth foundation is key.
I don t think he was using epoxy as his base as i don t remember anyone using it then.
The main advantage of using steel wool rather than sandpaper is that the steel wool can compress to almost any shape so it can be used much more easily in hard to reach places as well as on complex shapes such as.
Using steel wood to polish wood might seem out of place and actually harmful to the surface of the wood but it isn t if done properly.
For large flat surfaces use a sanding block to get even pressure.
Steel wool can be used instead of fine sandpaper for many sanding jobs.
He would do his initial blocking with 80 grit then recoat and sand with 120 150.
Sand lightly with 240 grit sandpaper between coats then let the last coat dry for at least 24 hours.