Rags play a key part in our business,  from cleaning the surface from excess glue, wiping up spills, to being a critical part of our finishing department for things like staining, glazing, tacking between coats and then again in rubbing or polishing when delivering our goods. Yet many shops over look the quality of the rag and look just for the cost, after all it is just going to get used and thrown away.

 

By choosing the correct rag you can eliminate many small issues that happen without really noticing until it’s too late, costing us unwanted expenses in time and materials. One example of this would be using a colored rag that might “bleed” a little of its own color on the bare wood while trying to wipe off glue or applying stain. Perhaps you like to use terry cloth towels or perhaps a rag that isn’t lint free when staining. These could snag or leave tiny fibers behind in the grain causing the sealer coat to be bumpy and rougher, leaving you with hours to sand them out to get a quality finish. Maybe those old t-shirts or flannels you brought from home do the trick since you’re not wearing them anymore, after all they were “free.” REALLY? They may have fabric softener in them or “press on decals” that don’t absorb what you’re trying to do, so they smear and only cause you MORE time, yet again. Did you ever think that your rag could be what is giving you that evil fisheye?

 

There is nothing worse than working with a rag that doesn’t perform. Personally, I hate using rags that have seams or ribs in the material. These always seem to leave a trace or pattern that wasn’t meant to be there, so I spend MORE time fixing and blending the areas out. Some rags are packaged all different shapes and sizes, I like to call them the “Cracker Jack” box, you never know what kind of surprise you will get.  A good quality rag can be bought cut to size, no seams, lint free and NO ribs or lines in the material. These rags cost a few dollars more a box but cut our LABOR down and increase our quality of finish.

 

Have you ever used a staining pad? These are awesome! They are made up of a sponge wrapped in a lint free cotton cloth. You can dip the pad into the stain and stain a huge area at a time without constantly re-dipping into the stain bucket. What makes these so awesome is they work right every time! When you stop and think about what a rag does its clear; they absorb NOT release, so using them to apply stain is silly. All we are doing is absorbing stain from the bucket and then trying to get it to wipe out on the board. The more you dip and wipe the less effective the rag is until finally it has reached its full saturated state and we have to get a new rag and start the process all over again. At the end of our staining process we can have a pile of saturated rags that we must carefully dispose of because they can be a fire hazard. The staining pad on the other hand will keep working and working and when we are done it will dry and can be used again for that color at a later date. This not only saves time but also applies the stain more consistently and saving TIME and MONEY. Isn’t this what we are all striving for right now? Of course, we still need to use the rags to wipe off the applied stain but then that’s using the rag in the manner it is intended…to absorb or pick up.

 

Tack clothes are another item that some shops will pass over in the finishing room. You may feel a clean rag will do the same thing for you when it comes to wiping off the sanded surface before top coating. Don’t skip this valuable tool! A tack cloth will “pick up” the dust, not smear it around and leave lint and tiny dust particles that can distort the finish’s quality. An important note on the tack cloth’s use is to be sure you open the folded cloth completely and then fluff to use. If left folded the tack is too concentrated and will not work properly or last to its full potential. The average tack cloth will open to 18” x 24”, which gives you plenty of quality wiping space to utilize.

 

To help you identify some of the rags here are some quick samples that are common in the industry.

 

Tack Cloth	Cheese Cloth

	gray knit pre-washed rags, are recycled t-shirts that do a good job for staining and in most cases are low lint to lint free.
	White washed 100% cotton virtually lint free.
	Cotton and poly cotton blend New Washed colorfast rags, great for staining, very soft and absorbent.
	Cloth diaper rags, great for staining, very soft and absorbent also great for polishing.  White French Terry highly absorbent and good for staining
	White French Terry highly absorbent and good for staining

	Red shop towels great for picking up grease and oil but can bleed their color.
	New Colored T-shirt good for all purpose, garage shops control oily work place spills.
	White sheets reclaimed cotton and blends
	Denim
	Corduroy
	Sweatshirts and sweatpants
	Bar towels 100% cotton
	Reclaimed wash clothes
	Paper wipers disposable
	Reclaimed color knit

So the next time you grab a rag, remember the quality of the rag just might reflect the quality of the job. Start saving time and money and you too could go from “rags to riches.”