Questions on Finishing inside of my 1st HF

[mike ash]

Well, I unpacked my new Monster articulated arm system and went to work on a piece of BLM mainly expecting to "practise" with my new toy. I found that I really enjoyed the time with the Monster and actually ended up with a 7" x 7" HF that I am going to finish up and present to my wife (hoping she'll forgive my vortex $$$ sins).

Now for the problem, what type of finish do I apply to the inside? I normally use WOP and then buff my bowls and I'll probably do that to the outside of this one. One alternative for the inside would be to saturate a rag and apply the same WOP to the inside. Then, I am thinking that I read that some of you are using some sort of black paint on the inside. Advice????

Oh, and a photos of the unfinished product.........200983

Thanks, Mike

[Dennis Ford]

A coat of oil (tung oil, boiled linseed oil, Danish oil etc.) is often all I use one the inside.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Mike,
Make the hole so tiny no one can see the inside. Then it doesn't matter. Besides, if they can't fit their finger inside to feel around you can tell them to take your word that the interior is smooth as velvet. Nice hollow form. Enjoy the new tools.
faust

[John Keeton]

Mike, congrats on the first one!! Very nice work. I usually will use either shellac or WOP on the inside, but be aware - depending on the wall thickness and porosity of the wood, soaking the inside can result in bleeding to the outside. If you are using the same finish on the outside usually that will solve the problem, but not always. Sometimes, you will get spots of finish on the outside that will show. It seems that applying a a few coats of finish on the outside before doing the inside will help with that situation. If you go with black, use acrylic flat black. It will not soak in as much (bleed), it won't show irregularities on the inside as badly, and it will wipe off the finished exterior with a damp paper towel.

[David E Keller]

I generally use BLO on the interior of my forms if I finish them at all. The dark paint is a neat trick, but as John said, beware of bleeding through to the exterior especially on soft woods.

[Jeff Nicol]

Mike, Everyone is right on with there comments, you can leave it unfinished, or use whatever you are putting on the outside. I have done the black inside a couple of different ways and both work well. The easiest is to tape off the rim and out side to protect from any overspray and get a can of flat black and spray the inside, that is if the opening is large enough to get it in. Lie John said I get a bottle of acrylic flat black and brush the inside and when it dries most any tool sins will be hidden and makes for a nice contrastwhen looking at the top.

You did a nice "Practice" piece and it looks like the hollowing tool is a good investment,

Jeff

[Steve Schlumpf]

Mike - congrats on your first HF! Looks pretty good!

I use WOP for just about everything and when I start finishing a form, I saturate the inside and outside of the form with WOP. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow it to soak into the wood and then wipe off any excess to prevent runs. Most times, 2 saturation coats seals the wood just fine... then I start with hand applied wipe-on coats and build the finish to whatever level of gloss that I want for the piece.

John is correct about being careful about what you coat the inside of the form with - it will bleed though! Good luck with your finishing!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats on a nice HF. I use mostly minwax antique oil. I will just dump some on the inside till it is saturated. I then pour out the excess and do the outside keeping it wet until no more will soak in. I wipe off the excess and let it dry.

[mike ash]

Thanks for all the ideas folks. I'm going to do the WOP thing as it will be on the outside as well.

Now, tonight I started a HF using a piece of 11" diameter walnut limb and I am finding that it is quite a bit harder material than the BLM bowl. I think I'm going to try the black acrylic paint on it. I'll post photos later.

Thanks, Mike

[Chip Sutherland]

I won't be adding much but as a rule of thumb....whatever finish I used on the outside is what I use on the inside. I always seem to have bleed through or a dribble on the outside from carelessness so there is not worries using the same finish. I, too, paint the inside black on occasion but I usually try to seal the inside first so the paint won't bleed through. And I always use painters tape around the opening due to previously mentioned carelessness or Murphy's Law.