Finish for boxes?

[Dan Forman]

What do you box makers usually use for a finish? I know that oil on the inside of a closed object is a no no. I guess that leaves wax or shellac for the inside. Does anyone use oil or varnish on the outside and something else on the inside? Thanks,

Dan

[Philip Duffy]

Dan, Try the new(ish) Wood Turners finish by General. A couple quick layers, a quick 600grt and a final finish. It is water based and very easy to use. Gets might hard. Phil -- -no connection to General

[Michael Stafford]

Dan, I have been using Qualalacq lacquers thinned 50% with their proprietary thinner for my boxes inside and out for quite a while and have been pleased. The lacquer adds no additional color and can be buffed to any sheen you desire. My method is to mix the lacquer and thinner in a small metal lidded jar and then apply it with bits of folded paper towel. I immediately wipe off any excess with more towels, buff dry with cheesecloth and repeat until I am happy with the finish. It dries almost immediately on the lathe which makes it important to carefully wipe off any excess. Between coats use your hands to check for runs and drips that you missed and steel wool them off. After I am satisfied with the finish I bring up the shine with a little microcrystalline wax.

Exotics don't really require a finish other than wax. I sand all of the dense exotics with wax cleaning the sanding residue between grits with mineral spirits. Other people sand with water and say they are happy with that but I really like the finish I get with the wax. Once I have sanded through 1200 or so I carefully clean the wood of any wax residues and top coat with microcrystalline wax.

I like the lacquer because of how quickly I can get a finish on the lathe. It only takes a couple of minutes to achieve a nice finish.

P.S. I haven't forgotten that you want to see a picture of the wooden mandrel that I learned about from Jamie to reverse turn bowls. I just haven't had the time to go to the shop and take a picture. I have been overcome by fits of laziness and more work at my real job than I want to admit to.....

[Hayes Rutherford]

Dan, I have used lacquer in a fashion that Mike describes and would agree that it is the best way to go. That being said, most all the small simple containers I produce just get bees wax, especially the ones for my newly targeted client base from Washington. Bees wax surly has its limitations but it sure smells nice on the inside of a box and I don't worry about long term effects from the fumes.

[Michael Stafford]

Hayes, there is a lot to be said for a beeswax finish. Richard Raffan who has sold a box or two uses a homemade mixture of oil and beeswax to finish his boxes inside and out. He believes the best finish is the one that is developed from daily use.

My only objection to this finish is that it shows fingerprints in a selling situation and gets grimy looking if no one bothers to wipe the wood down with a cloth once in a while. That is why I use the microcrystalline wax as a top coat as it resists fingerprints.

[David C. Roseman]

[snip]I know that oil on the inside of a closed object is a no no. I guess that leaves wax or shellac for the inside. Does anyone use oil or varnish on the outside and something else on the inside? Thanks,

Dan

Hmm, I can see why a non-polymerizing oil isn't good for a closed interior. But what would the concern be over wipe on poly? Or a thin oil-poly mixture like GF's Arm-R-Seal, which seems to dry quickly enough to recoat two or three times in a day?

David

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Interesting. Why is oil on the inside of a box a no no? I've been using Wipe On Poly recently, and before that I've used tung oil blends, Watco, all kinds of oils. I like the WOP so I switched......

[Michael Stafford]

I can't answer that question Kyle. In fact I have never heard that cautionary statement before. Now I could understand if you used an oil that did not cure that could be a problem. And you should never use an oil on oily woods like rosewoods, Verawood, lignum vitae etc. because the finishing oil will get really gummy after a while.

I have finished tons of boxes with WOP, oil and wax, plain wax and lacquer. All will leave some odor on the inside that eventually goes away but never had any complaints about the finish. A box interior wiped down and polished with microcrystalline wax smells great.

[Dan Forman]

I heard that oil finishes used on the inside of any closed container will have a smell that gets "locked in" and never goes away. That's what the flat workers say. Looks like I'll have to conduct some experiments.

I turned a little elm box last night, didn't have any bees wax, so used liberal amounts of Johnson's Paste Wax - wasn't that pleased with the result and it will have to stay open for a while to air out the solvent. The elm needs something to bring out the color, darken it up a little. I was going to try shellac, but thought it might build up and mess up the fit of the lid. Same concern with the WTF.

Mike --- Be careful, it starts with laziness, but it can quickly slide into sloth and torpor! :)

Might try lacquer, but I don't like the fumes. Will pick up some bees wax today and try that. The lacquer might be good for walnut though, which can get mighty dark with an oil finish.

Hayes --- Maybe hemp oil for that new clientele of yours?

Dan

[Michael Stafford]

Mike --- Be careful, it starts with laziness, but it can quickly slide into sloth and torpor! :)

Dan

Sloth and torpor may be my cousins, I am not sure because I am too lazy to check......