Tack Cloth
We always need something to pick up and hold contaminating particulates, while performing home improvement jobs, woodworking, sanding vehicles, etc. Using a wet cloth or hand gloves doesn't help much in such scenarios. Tack clothes are used to resolve this exact problem. Tack cloth is nothing but a wiping cloth which is specially treated to get tacky features. They are used to remove dust, dirt and rough particles. Once you clean that particular surface with this cloth, then you can use it for various purposes like painting, polishing, coating, laminating and other such intricate works.
Tack Cloth Making Process
The process of making 'tack' and 'cloth' is pretty interesting. Tack is a resinous material, which is made either by solvent-based, hot-melt or water-based treatments. There are various kinds of tack treatment materials and formulations used that determine the efficiency level of tack cloths. It is also the reason why some tack cloths work on toughest stains and oils, while some leave residues from free oils. Some cloths also evaporate hazardous pollutants in the air and contribute to air pollution. Sometimes this occurs when you use some cloths that are marketed misnomers like beeswax, varnish and lacquer. Cloth on the other hand, is commonly made of cotton gauze textile that is commonly known as cheesecloth. However, these cheesecloth are different in quality than the regular cheesecloth that we use. Apart from cotton gauze textile, some other materials like non fibrous synthetic yarns and several non-woven fabrics are used to reduce the cost of tack cloths. It shows that cost of tack cloths depends on several factors like the type, style, size and quality of the cloth that you want to use.
How to Make Your Own Tack Cloth
If you are searching for a ready-to-use tack cloth alternative, then let me tell you that you can use a homemade tack cloth! For that, you will need things like a white cotton dishtowel, turpentine and varnish. First of all, wash the dishtowel and soak it in clean water. Then wring the towel as dry as you can and fold it into several layers like a pad. Then drizzle several oz of turpentine on the towel pad. Make sure that turpentine is spread through all the layers of your dishtowel. You also need to take care that the towel is just damp and not soaked by turpentine. Then is the time to spread varnish on all sides of the towel. You may require to wad and knead the towel carefully so that the varnish is spread evenly. You can use the cloth when it starts to dry. As you start to work with it, you will come to know that it gets dry too quickly. To avoid that, you can keep drizzling varnish and turpentine in required amount. Always remember that you only need to make the towel moist and never soak it.
Tack Cloth Uses
As I mentioned at the start of the article, there are various uses of a tack cloth. For instance, while crafting, woodworking, wood coloring or wood polishing, restoring an old furniture article, etc. Understand the fact that using tack cloth is a step which takes place after sanding the object and before painting or varnishing it. It is also used in between the processes of staining and sealing an object. Using this cloth is also an easy process that you can do on your own. For using it properly you just need to run it over the entire surface of that object you have to stain or paint. However, always remember that you should never wash the cloth since it will dissolve its original texture. Hence, when it comes to using them on larger surface, then you are likely to require more than one cloth.
Rather than purchasing new cloth packets each time, you can reuse the older cloths till the time you are able to clean the surface efficiently. If not, then that is the time to search for new tack cloths.
