Spot problems early

 

Paint thinner, the great scratch detector

As you prepare to finish, you'll find that paint thinner is one of your best friends. What you see with a wet coat of paint thinner is what you will see with a finish, as shown in the photo. Blotches, scratches, glue spots, and other flaws will leap out at you, just begging to be fixed.

Paint thinner evaporates fairly quickly and leaves no contaminant on the wood. You can use any kind of finish without problems, after the thinner dries. The next page tells you how to handle three typical defects.