Finishing

[phil harold]

I need some ideas on what to finish turnings with.

I want it to dry fast with minimal time between coats

I want it glossy so I can still see the grain after multiple coats

More importantly it cannot be lacquer, I am sensitized to lacquer and get sinus inflammation and or infections from minor/minimal exposure

Also sensitive to turpentine and other a few other solvents VM & P Naptha, trichloroethane, benzene...

While I do have respirators, I need to reduce my exposure even more

thanks
phil

[Michelle Rich]

Phil: look into shellac..it is the safest finish on the market..you can eat the stuff..so that would be my choice (it is my choice for most pieces because of the safety) You can get it shiny by burnishing it with a rag..it fills all your requirements.

[Norm Zax]

Agree with Michelle. Shellac is very quick and resin free. Has a learning curve so dont learn on your best work. Sand a few wooden boards and learn on them. There are shellacs containg wax (wont be shiny) and dewaxed, blonde or yellowish.
Another option is epoxy which can be sprayed on. Brushing isnt ideal.
Finally, perhaps you can find out what resin (or diluent) gives you problems. Lacquer can be polyurethane, acrylic, etc... Maybe a good mask will help.

[Greg Just]

Shellac or possibly a water based poly. They both dry very fast.

[John Keeton]

Phil, if you need to "flatten" the shellac to work out lap marks, etc., it is very easy to do with 600 grit paper and an oil with which you are compatible - mineral oil, or BLO. I use mineral spirits, but that might not work for you. I avoid water as I don't want any moisture getting to the wood in the event I sand through the shellac.

Shellac is an excellent product.

[phil harold]

Thanks guys
I have no problem with mineral spirits and denatured alcohol
I have good respirators with organic filters and dust rating of 100 (p100 I think) while the mask works good when I go back to the shop to check on it is when it will affect me too
time to build a spray booth...

What are your sources for shellac?

[John Keeton]

Phil, there are numerous sources for shellac flakes if you are interested in a wider variety of colors - garnet, amber, etc. But, I just buy the spray and the can at Lowes. The Zinsser Shellac Seal Coat is dewaxed, and a 2# cut, as I recall, and the spray is also dewaxed. Using dewaxed is important for adhesion over or under other finishes, but not a concern if you do not anticipate that situation.

[Jon Nuckles]

+1 on the recommendation of shellac and on the recommendation of Seal Coat. Purists will tell you to mix your own even if you want the blonde color (which Seal Coat is), but it is a bit of a hassle to weigh, mix, wait for a few days for it to dissolve and then strain before using. For all that, I have gotten better results with Seal Coat than with flakes I mixed myself, plus it is cheaper and has a longer shelf life than the stuff you mix yourself. Sounds like I work for Zinsser, but I am just happy with their product. The only caution I would add is that you should buy it at a store that sells enough that you get a recent batch. Seal Coat is supposed to be good for 3 years, I believe, but I wouldn't count on it lasting that long. They have started using a code rather than a date on the can, but if you call the 800 number on the can they will tell you how to decode it to determine roughly when it was made. If you mix your own, plan on using it within no more than 6 months for best results. The flakes also degrade over time, but it is much slower than the degradation once it is mixed. You can tell if mixed shellac will still set up by putting a few drops on glass and seeing if it dries hard or soft, but I have read that older shellac may lose some measure of protection even if it still dries hard.

[phil harold]

spray shellac in the can sounds like the ticket!

thanks!

[Michael Mills]

+ on shellac. I do not buy a separate seal coat or end grain sealer, just thin some from the can with DNA. If you want a super gloss use something like Mylands friction polish (shellac based) after your sprayed or brushed coats. I have never sanded shellac when on the lathe, just dampen a paper towel with DNA and rub with the lathe running. Any streaks, runs, lap marks will be melted away and ready for the final finish. You do need to keep the paper towel moving to insure you do not get rings from the finish being trapped in wrinkles in the towel.

[Eric Holmquist]

I will follow a different path and recommend one of the waterborne clear coats like Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey, Target Coatings EM6000 or General Finishes Enduro-Var. I've used the first two very successfully, I have not tried Enduro-var but it is popular. I use a small conversion HVLP spray gun 1.3-1.5 mm needle to apply with 30 mins between coats.

VNC claims that PolyWhey is safe enough to drink. Lately I've been using EM6000 and really like it. These two are milk white in the can (PolyWhey is made from milk) and cure very clear with less color shift that WOP.

Pencil tests by the late Russ Fairfield indicated that the film hardness of Enduro-var was amongst the hardest, most scratch resistant finishes he could find (7H+)

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Remember, with shellac like many other finishes, it is not how much you put on, it is how much you leave on. If you spray, be sure the coats are very thin. I like French polishing shellac. That method requires very little sanding between coats. In fact, I merely go over the bowl with a bit of synthetic steel wool after 5 coats or so. Each coat is microscopic in thickness. It is simple for a small surface like a bowl and you actually use very little product. There are lots of sites on the web that will tell you how to do it.
faust