Method of BLO/Poly

[Andrew W. Thomas]

I'm a fan of natural finishes so for my previous book case project I made a wiping varnish from 1/3 mineral spirits, BLO, and Poly. I think the finish turned out great but had a couple questions.

The problem comes when I try to build up layers. It took 6 coats to get a good even sheen on the plywood/hardwood of the bookcase. Possibly due to soak in. I know multiple thin coats are better than fewer thick coats but I wondered if anyone had a take on or had tried the following:

For my son's solid maple toy box I was thinking of wiping on 1-2 coats of BLO then because its already likely absorbed its limit of BLO, I would wipe on a 1/2 mineral spirits/poly blend to build up a protective layer. Thoughts?

Also, do I finish the inside of the toy box? Any problem with using BLO or Poly on the inside?

[Scott Holmes]

BLO and poly will leave a very distint smell inside the toy box. A water-borne finish or my favorite inside case work is dewaxed shellac.

The MS, poly and BLO did not build up a film because it's an oil/varnish blend (a.k.a. a Danish oil Finish) it is way too soft to build any kind of hard film.

One coat of BLO treatment (let it dry 24 hours) is all thats needed. Then a wiping varnish (50% MS, 50% varnish) will produce a film of varnish just as if you had applied it with a brush or sprayer.

Typically a wipe-on varnish will need 3 coats to equal the build of one properly applied brush on coat. Wipe it like the kid wipes the table at the fast food joint; a table top should take a minute or less to wipe-on the varnish. As soon as it's dry to the touch wipe on another coat. 3 in a row is enough per day. No sanding needed between coats each day; very light sanding before next set of 3 wipe-on coats.

[Andrew W. Thomas]

Thanks Scott-
That's a big help. As I'm somewhat new to finishing could you provide any specific types of water-borne finishes? Not sure if that's something I can pickup at the local hardware store. Also, will the water-borne finish provide protection against the toys that will be "thrown" in and out of the toy box?

[Scott Holmes]

Most of the so called "water-based" finishes will be fine inside a toy box.