Your Favorite Finish? Why?

[Stew Denton]

I was working on restoring one of my hand saws yesterday, cleaning up and polishing the blade, cleaning up and polishing the saw nuts, and refinishing the handle.

The old handle had a finishing that was cracked and quite a bit of it had flaked off. I worked it over with sand paper, not doing a perfect job by any means, because it had some significant dents, wood chips missing, and other things that would require removing quite a bit of wood to fix, but I wanted to improve it a lot without worrying about perfection. All went well, until I went to clear spray paint, which I believe is a spray lacquer.

What happened is that at the rate I could get to the inside curved parts and then get to the flat parts, the first finished parts had begun to dry, and also overspray created a frosted finish in spots. It was fairly hot, and the spray dried very quickly.

I have used spray lacquer on knobs and totes on my planes with pretty good success, but not so the handle of the saw. It has been quite a while since I have restored another hand saw, and in the past brushed on regular varnish. My fix will be to wait a couple of weeks for the lacquer to dry well, then sand lightly and use lacquer with a brush.

Now for the question: I know some of you really like Shellac, and I have used lacquer, spar and urethane varnishs quite a bit. However, I am going to pick up some shellac when I pick up a small can of lacquer to give it a try.

What is your favorite type of finish for various uses and why? Why do you like shellac?

Stew

[Rich Riddle]

One that someone else applies because I don't have to do it......waterlox

[Reinis Kanders]

Shellac because it is simple. Dries fast no need to clean brushes and all that. I am not fussy about these things in general and I like that I can just open a can, put some on and be done in couple of minutes. I keep a rag and small chinese style brush in a sealed glass jar so that they do not dry out.

[Rich Riddle]

It's very simple to repair shellac or Waterlox.

[Adam Herman]

waterlox. I have used it one one very large project and plan to use it on everything i can in the future.

[Frederick Skelly]

Dewaxed Shellac. Easy to apply with a rag or a brush. Dries quickly. Looks good. Can be tinted. Can use a topcoat for durability, on (only) the parts that need it. Easy to clean up (or not, as Reinis mentioned).

What's not to like?

[Prashun Patel]

As I finish more and more I realize each has its place. It all depends on the look, the effort, the durability you want and also what equipment and space you have.

Shellac is great. For your handle I would prefer an oil varnish finish tho. Easiest to apply and greatest feel and easiest to repair.

[Robin Frierson]

Linseed oil, shellac and rubbed out with wax. Its easy to apply and looks great with most woods. If they is figure I add some transtint dye to bring that out. If its a top that gets hard use then go with oil varnish.

[Patrick Chase]

Depends on the application

I have a soft spot for Linseed or Tung oil because they're subtle and expose both the wood and its preparation. I'd probably choose one of those for most things if left to my own devices.

Dewaxed shellac for a glossy look

PU if I must (for example the lego trays and shelving I made for my son)

[Derek Cohen]

If it is a surface that can be reached with a buffing mop, the try Ubeaut Shellawax. This is set off by the heat of buffing, and dries to a clear and hard finish. Ubeaut also make a White Shellac, which can be thinned out of the bottle. This is dewaxed shellac, and dries very quickly on its own. It does not add any colour to the wood. Great Australian products that are available in the USA.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Wayne Lomman]

It's horses for courses. For tool handles I always use linseed oil. It develops character with use and feels good. I don't often use shellac these days. It is unsurpassed for appearance but time and lack of resistance to common use let's it down. High usage items I tend to use 2 pack polyurethane. Cheers

[Stanley Covington]

Thinned polyurethane. Durability first.

[Kees Heiden]

Linseed oil and wax. I apply more wax when needed, but that happens rarely.

[Kevin Womer]

For me shellac, reason is ease of use because I'm partial to the spray cans. It is also great for a sealer coat. I also like boiled linseed oil and Danish oil finish on cherry and walnut.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thinned polyurethane. Durability first.

Stan, can you please tell us how much you thin it, and why?
Thanks,
Fred

[george wilson]

The trouble with polyurethane is that it "gasses" between coats. For this reason it cannot be rubbed. If you rub it,you get a "topographic" looking "map" which is the uncovering of layers,showing the gassing.

I am in a big hurry here. But,for most things,I like lacquer. It is easy to repair if it gets scratched. An application with a small brush "welds" scratches back together. Then,you can sand with wet or dry,and rub the lacquer back to a gloss(unless you want a matte.)

Nothing bothers the finish. Only lacquer thinner or acetone will cut it. So,for guitars,which get much handling,it is a great finish. Now,for violins it is a different matter,and oil varnishes are softer,making for better tone.

[Stanley Covington]

Stan, can you please tell us how much you thin it, and why?
Thanks,
Fred

The ratio of thinner to PU and steps I follow depend on the application. The purpose of thinning the PU is threefold. First, it helps the PU soak into the wood grain, especially endgrain. Second, it makes it possible to wet sand the wood using the thinned PU as a lubricant. Third, the wet sanding process creates a slurry of PU and sawdust that fills the grain.

For most applications, I don't want a visible surface finish, so to make the PU soak into the grain as deep as possible, I thin 100%. I sand down to the wood after each coat dries using the same thinned PU as lubricant, creating a slurry to fill the grain. I let this dry. After wet sanding the last coat, I wipe off all the PU slurry and let it dry. The PU has soaked deeply into the grain. The grain is filled and smooth and has a slight sheen. The finish cannot chip, or crack, or dent, but will continue to protect the wood even after hard use.

If a film topcoat is needed, I thin the PU about 75% or less, apply it with a sable brush, and let this last coat dry. It won't soak into the wood, and the grain is already filled, so the finish is very smooth if kept dust free while drying. There are no layers to go topographic.

This finish is one a custom gunstock maker taught me. It is very durable, practically waterproof, and really slows down moisture migration in/out of the wood making it perfect for guns and tools, and most anything that must take abuse. I even use it on my wooden planes and it really helps stops them from getting out of tolerance. This is a big deal with planes, as you know. It can be time consuming if perfection is the goal.

If you decide to try it, be sure to use a high-quality thinner, not the crap they sell at Home Depot. It makes a difference.

Stan

[george wilson]

What do you mean"The finish cannot chip,crack,or dent"? Is it made of armor plate?:)

It is getting harder and harder to get any varnish that is not Polyurethane. While I'll certainly agree that PU is a durable finish,I cannot use it for rubbing. I wish a larger variety of varnishes would continue to be available. I don't even know how much longer I'll be avle to get nitrocellulose lacquer. It is the traditional guitar finish,and is a prettier lacquer than acrylic,which has a cold look about it. This being because it has a resin base that is blue. Nitro has a yellow resin base. And seems to refract light differently.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks for the tutorial Stan!

[Stanley Covington]

What do you mean"The finish cannot chip,crack,or dent"? Is it made of armor plate?:)

This is simply because there is no film finish on the surface of the wood chip, crack or dent. By "dent" I mean that the finish's appearance and effectiveness would not be significantly changed if the wood became dented.

[Scott DelPorte]

I mostly do french polish for guitars, and have started using waterlox for furniture. I used to spray nitrocellulose lacquer for steel stringed guitars, but like the non-toxic nature of shellac. It takes me longer to pad on a shellac finish than spraying, but i like the process and I never really had a good system for managing the fumes of lacquer. For furniture that needs to take some abuse, I like wiping on a waterlox finish. I have only done a few tables with it, but I like it a lot. I find it about as easy to use as wipe on poly, but like how it looks a little better. The fumes dont seem to bother me either.

[Trevor Goodwin]

Stanley, I'm interested in your thinned PU method. Do you have any photos of the results, maybe even the process? Would it be suitable for chisel handles?

Do you have the surface vertical or horizontal when you apply it, or do you find it doesn't matter?

[george wilson]

It is WISE to invest in a proper filter mask when spraying lacquer. In my early 20's,I had no such protection,and managed to get myself good and ill from breathing too many lacquer fumes. These days ,and for the past many years,I have used the proper protection.

[Patrick Chase]

It is WISE to invest in a proper filter mask when spraying lacquer. In my early 20's,I had no such protection,and managed to get myself good and ill from breathing too many lacquer fumes. These days ,and for the past many years,I have used the proper protection.

Amen to that. Out of curiosity what do you use?

The 3M 6700 full-face mask seems to work OK. IMO it's a pain in the a** to play "match that toxin" between the MSDS and the filter selection guide, but it's worth it to avoid having to pull air through a multi-gas cartridge.

[James Waldron]

What do you mean"The finish cannot chip,crack,or dent"? Is it made of armor plate?:)

It is getting harder and harder to get any varnish that is not Polyurethane. While I'll certainly agree that PU is a durable finish,I cannot use it for rubbing. I wish a larger variety of varnishes would continue to be available. I don't even know how much longer I'll be avle to get nitrocellulose lacquer. It is the traditional guitar finish,and is a prettier lacquer than acrylic,which has a cold look about it. This being because it has a resin base that is blue. Nitro has a yellow resin base. And seems to refract light differently.

1. There are a number of varnish products produced for the marine industry. Some are of so-so quality, but there are several quite respectable brands. I can report good results in my work with Epifanes and with Petit Z-Spar Captain's (or Flagship) Varnish. The first is a bit harder and scratch resistant; the second is more resilient and has better impact resistance. Choose based on the property you need. Source at a local marine supply or at Defender Industries by mail-order.

2. I've had very good results getting the hardness and durability of polyurethane finishes with a fine hand rubbed look by applying a resin varnish (see 1., above) and rubbing it out in normal fashion. Works as you would wish. I'd suggest at least two coats of varnish before rubbing to make sure you have enough film thickness to avoid going through to the PU surface. These varnish coatings add warmer color to the PU that I like. You'll have to judge for yourself.

Sorry to say I can't help you with the nitrocellulose lacquer.

[Stanley Covington]

1. There are a number of varnish products produced for the marine industry. Some are of so-so quality, but there are several quite respectable brands. I can report good results in my work with Epifanes and with Petit Z-Spar Captain's (or Flagship) Varnish. The first is a bit harder and scratch resistant; the second is more resilient and has better impact resistance. Choose based on the property you need. Source at a local marine supply or at Defender Industries by mail-order.

2. I've had very good results getting the hardness and durability of polyurethane finishes with a fine hand rubbed look by applying a resin varnish (see 1., above) and rubbing it out in normal fashion. Works as you would wish. I'd suggest at least two coats of varnish before rubbing to make sure you have enough film thickness to avoid going through to the PU surface. These varnish coatings add warmer color to the PU that I like. You'll have to judge for yourself.

Sorry to say I can't help you with the nitrocellulose lacquer.

I can add my voice in support of Epiphanes varnish and PU and their thinner as well. Excellent products!

[Patrick Chase]

1. There are a number of varnish products produced for the marine industry. Some are of so-so quality, but there are several quite respectable brands. I can report good results in my work with Epifanes and with Petit Z-Spar Captain's (or Flagship) Varnish. The first is a bit harder and scratch resistant; the second is more resilient and has better impact resistance. Choose based on the property you need. Source at a local marine supply or at Defender Industries by mail-order.

How much does the Epifanes glossy marine varnish yellow during drying in your experience? I ask because it's Phenolic-modified Alkyd, and those tend to darken. I really like the hardness of Phenolic-Alkyd though FWIW.

[Jerry Olexa]

BLO followed by padding of shellac ..later wax

[James Waldron]

How much does the Epifanes glossy marine varnish yellow during drying in your experience? I ask because it's Phenolic-modified Alkyd, and those tend to darken. I really like the hardness of Phenolic-Alkyd though FWIW.

Both Epifanes and Z-Spar are phenolic. They both have an amber color. The color does not change appreciably during drying. Both have substantial amounts of ultra-violet light blockers and are designed to perform in tropical direct sun, where they perform better than most. Used below decks (or in your wife's living room) they are good for years.

Beware the "Rubbed Effect" versions. They won't even pass the six foot test. Not bad at 20 feet, but that's no strong recommendation. Put on the gloss varnish and rub it out if that's the look you want.

[Stanley Covington]

Stanley, I'm interested in your thinned PU method. Do you have any photos of the results, maybe even the process? Would it be suitable for chisel handles?

Do you have the surface vertical or horizontal when you apply it, or do you find it doesn't matter?

Trevor:

The pictures of gennou handles in my two long threads on the subject were finished using this method.

It works very well for chisel and saw handles. I usually do a gloss final topcoat as described in my earlier post for saw handles. It looks like a standard PU finish, but it has the advantage of protecting and sealing the wood from stains and moisture related damage even if the topcoat is damaged. This is the big advantage for gunstocks.

The film topcoat, if applied, is of course sensitive to orientation, but orientation is not critical for coats that are wet sanded. Of corse, the thinned PU will run off.

Stan

[Prashun Patel]

James-

I beg to disagree with the Epifanes Rubbed Effect. I think it applies and looks fantastic.

If we are talking about tool handles though, personally, I wouldn't advise using a high-solids marine varnish Epifanes. It's tricky to brush onto curved or faceted surfaces. I don't find that it thins particularly well and anyway, thinning it reduces all the great things about the product.

A lot of people poo-poo Minwax polyurethane, but the durability and optical differences really only make themselves known when you start building an appreciable film. If you are applying as Stanley advises (a thin, in-the-wood wiping varnish) then I find it works exceptionally well. In fact, it has some benefits over phenolic varnishes which can smell for a long time. Minwax poly thins very well with regular mineral spirits too.

[Stanley Covington]

James-

I beg to disagree with the Epifanes Rubbed Effect. I think it applies and looks fantastic.

If we are talking about tool handles though, personally, I wouldn't advise using a high-solids marine varnish Epifanes. It's tricky to brush onto curved or faceted surfaces. I don't find that it thins particularly well and anyway, thinning it reduces all the great things about the product.

A lot of people poo-poo Minwax polyurethane, but the durability and optical differences really only make themselves known when you start building an appreciable film. If you are applying as Stanley advises (a thin, in-the-wood wiping varnish) then I find it works exceptionally well. In fact, it has some benefits over phenolic varnishes which can smell for a long time. Minwax poly thins very well with regular mineral spirits too.

The trick to thinning Epiphanes varnish is to use the Epiphanes thinner, which is extremely high quality. If you use the cheap thinner sold at The Borg (the thinner they carry is barely adequate for cleaning brushes), it does indeed negate the value of the product.

Epiphanes is not easy to get many places, so I have used Minwax PU a lot. It works fine. But if you use a high-quality thinner, Minwax PU yields good results indeed.

The gunstock finish I use is not a wiping varnish, however. At least, I am not using it like one since I don't wipe it off between coats but wet sand it using thinned finish after each coat dries.

[Curt Putnam]

For handles, I would consider Tru-Oil. For furniture or objects where abrasion, water and chemical resistance are not issue, I like shellac. I used garnet shellac over BLO on the grandkids blanket chests just because the repair is so easy. Of the tests that I've read about Arm-R-Seal is the toughest (against, chemicals, water, heat and abrasion) followed by a few waterborne topcoats.

JMO & YMWV

[James Waldron]

Prashun, remember the context: I was replying to George's wish for a hand rubbed varnish finish. Epifanes Rubbed Effect can be nice, but it doesn't look like a real hand rubbed varnish until you stand back a good ways. Not what George is after, I suspect. I use it a good bit because I'm often matching the same finish on existing work on a boat interior.

I don't much like varnish on tool handles at all. It can be uncomfortable in hot weather, it is prone to damage, and it is hard to apply effectively to edges. I typically use Tru-Oil.

Single part polyurethane, such as Minwax can be a good choice for some uses. For film coatings, it isn't that tough.

When a PU is called for, I typically use a two part polyurethane (usually Interlux Perfection Plus) for the additional toughness and outstanding optical clarity with no color. More expensive, more fiddly to mix and thin, more demanding to apply, but the results are absolutely outstanding.

[Stanley Covington]

Jim:

Do you work on boats professionally, or as a hobby?

The Interlux product sounds very interesting. A bit pricey here in Japan at $250/quart....

Epiphanes products are not available at all here.

What other products/brands would you recommend?

Thanks

Stan

[James Waldron]

Jim:

Do you work on boats professionally, or as a hobby?

The Interlux product sounds very interesting. A bit pricey here in Japan at $250/quart....

Epiphanes products are not available at all here.

What other products/brands would you recommend?

Thanks

Stan


I'm retired from professional boat work. Just family, friends and my own boat these days.

At $250 per quart, I'd suggest you back off that suggestion and try automotive clear coat finishes. Not sure what's available in Japan, but I've used duPont versions. Most are harder than the Interlux stuff, hard to apply in any technique other than spray, but they perform very well. Generically, in the US they go by a common designation of "2K" coatings in the composites world and I believe in the automotive refinishing world as well. Ask at an auto supply shop and you should be able to get to it.

If you're new to this automotive stuff, I'd highly recommend a bit of practice before you try it on Aunt Sadie's birthday present.

With lots of practice, you can apply it with a roller and tip the wet coat with a fine animal hair brush. Don't try it with a nylon bristle brush; they are too coarse and the tips are abrupt, blunt squared cuts that drag the coating into excessive brush strokes. I use badger hair brushes for tipping. Clean the brush quickly and carefully or you'll lose it.

Bon chance!

[Prashun Patel]

At $250/qt, perhaps it would be easier to buy a new boat.

[Mike Allen1010]

For saw handles, particularly vintage models being restored, I like soaking in an oil/varnish mix product (I use Watco, but BOLO works fine). It's convenient to put the tote in Ziploc plastic bag and then to poor oil/varnish in. 100-year-old saw totes can sometimes be pretty dried out in this helps ensure they get thoroughly refreshed. When you're done you can just pour the excess back in the can. I think the oil varnish blend brings out the figure and hardens in the wood fibers to give a little more durability for some the delicate/carved areas.

After letting that dry, I use Amber shellac followed by paste wax. I like the feel of the finished tote in my hand and it provides a nice warm color that easy to fix if it gets dinged. Just my two cents YMMV.

Best, Mike

[paul cottingham]

Since I don't like using anything toxic, (young daughter with ASD who reacts to the chemical -as in it sets off her autism- and a wife who complains bitterly about the smell) I use shellac, Tried and True (any of their products) and Endurovar water based varnish. I basically use tried and true as a base coat (unless it's the product with the beeswax in it, I use that by itself) and use either shellac or Endurovar as a top coat. I usually use some kind of polish as well, lately, I've just been using just plain old beeswax.

I suspect my my methods horrify expert finishers, but so far they have held up pretty well in a busy house.

[Patrick Chase]

At $250/qt, perhaps it would be easier to buy a new boat.

It's only $70/qt here in the US :-).

[steven c newman]

Me, I'm a bit on the cheap side of things. so....a 70/30 mix of BLO and gloss varnish for the first coat, followed by two of clear gloss varnish. Been just brushing it all on. Rubbed out between coats.
343688
Seems to work on Cherry things....

[James Waldron]

Me, I'm a bit on the cheap side of things. so....a 70/30 mix of BLO and gloss varnish for the first coat, followed by two of clear gloss varnish. Been just brushing it all on. Rubbed out between coats.
343688
Seems to work on Cherry things....

Sweet! And that's why a "favorite finish" is such an elusive concept. We all need different finishes for different purposes.

Nice as your box looks, and as well as it is sure to perform in it's intended uses, your finish wouldn't be at all durable for brightwork on a boat. It would be good for maybe a month and then need to be stripped and redone from bare wood. We use a minimum of three coats of good varnish for a price sensitive job and advise the boat owner to scuff the finish and apply at least one more coat within six months. For proper yacht work, six or eight coats or even more are often used. Even then scuff sanding and re-coating at least once a year is essential.

This demanding environment is where the two-part polyurethane comes in. It has a lower vulnerability to ultraviolet light and uv blockers work much better in the PU coating. Add in the toughness and scratch resistance of cured PU coatings and life is good. For looks, a phenolic resin varnish can be added over the cured PU to get the amber color boat owners expect and the bill gets paid on delivery with no complaints. Well, a few complaints, but not about the looks.

[Patrick Chase]

Sweet! And that's why a "favorite finish" is such an elusive concept. We all need different finishes for different purposes.

Nice as your box looks, and as well as it is sure to perform in it's intended uses, your finish wouldn't be at all durable for brightwork on a boat. It would be good for maybe a month and then need to be stripped and redone from bare wood. We use a minimum of three coats of good varnish for a price sensitive job and advise the boat owner to scuff the finish and apply at least one more coat within six months. For proper yacht work, six or eight coats or even more are often used. Even then scuff sanding and re-coating at least once a year is essential.

When I was growing up in Indiana we had and raced a Thistle, which is a light 17-foot monohull with a 26-foot mast and a LOT of sail (we're talking about a boat that planes in ~10 kn of wind and would frequently outrun cats to windward). The mast on ours was wood, and we re-finished it a couple times basically as you describe. I think it was indeed about 8 coats of spar varnish.

[Matt Lau]

Do you do this even with your Japanese kanna?

I thought that sealing it leads to nasty gunk on the surface, but this might just be the oil varnish used by some unmentioned maker.


The ratio of thinner to PU and steps I follow depend on the application. The purpose of thinning the PU is threefold. First, it helps the PU soak into the wood grain, especially endgrain. Second, it makes it possible to wet sand the wood using the thinned PU as a lubricant. Third, the wet sanding process creates a slurry of PU and sawdust that fills the grain.

For most applications, I don't want a visible surface finish, so to make the PU soak into the grain as deep as possible, I thin 100%. I sand down to the wood after each coat dries using the same thinned PU as lubricant, creating a slurry to fill the grain. I let this dry. After wet sanding the last coat, I wipe off all the PU slurry and let it dry. The PU has soaked deeply into the grain. The grain is filled and smooth and has a slight sheen. The finish cannot chip, or crack, or dent, but will continue to protect the wood even after hard use.

If a film topcoat is needed, I thin the PU about 75% or less, apply it with a sable brush, and let this last coat dry. It won't soak into the wood, and the grain is already filled, so the finish is very smooth if kept dust free while drying. There are no layers to go topographic.

This finish is one a custom gunstock maker taught me. It is very durable, practically waterproof, and really slows down moisture migration in/out of the wood making it perfect for guns and tools, and most anything that must take abuse. I even use it on my wooden planes and it really helps stops them from getting out of tolerance. This is a big deal with planes, as you know. It can be time consuming if perfection is the goal.

If you decide to try it, be sure to use a high-quality thinner, not the crap they sell at Home Depot. It makes a difference.

Stan

[Stanley Covington]

Do you do this even with your Japanese kanna?

I thought that sealing it leads to nasty gunk on the surface, but this might just be the oil varnish used by some unmentioned maker.

Matt:

I have owned and used a LOT of Japanese planes over the years, and got tired of truing the soles seasonally very quickly. A tremendous waste of time, and yes, money. There is a traditional solution over here, one that is used in the West as well. That is to soak the block in spindle oil. I have tried it, and don't like it. It stinks, its oily for a long time, and I believe it makes the block softer. I substituted WATCO Danish Oil for a while, with better, but far from satisfactory, results. WDO is BLO mixed with varnish, BTW. Still stinky, and does not slow down moisture migration much.

I tried the gunstock finish I described above on my planes out of frustration. But first some history.

The old boy who taught it to me called it the "London Finish." London England (not London Ohio) was, of course, a major center for some of the finest gunsmithing in the world for several centuries, and the stock finishers there had/have a finishing technique for which they were famous called the London Finish, no coincidence. This finish consists of many, perhaps a hundred, coats of BLO hand rubbed into the stained wood. The stain was, of course, made from the alkanate root. The process took months, the results were/are beautiful, and is/was very expensive. The old handmade British double guns were always expensive, easily costing the price of a nice middle-class house. It was standard practice to send such guns to the gunsmith once or twice a year for oiling both lock and stock, since the fragile London Finish must be cleaned and restored regularly.

I made a flintlock from full-size drawings of a JP Beck Lancaster rifle in 54 caliber with a Siler lock and swamped barrel, and lovingly finished it using the classic London finish. Absolutely beautiful, but not at all durable.

The problem with BLO is, as antique furniture restorers well know, that it never really dries/hardens inside the wood because it has limited exposure to oxygen. This sticky oil then not only darkens over time but attracts dirt making the finish nearly black after a few decades. This is one reason why the old British double guns, and antique furniture, are often very dark in color. I own a flintlock shotgun made in England and carried to the colonies around 1730, and the exposed surfaces of the cherry wood stock are black as a divorce lawyer's heart. Obviously, it was not maintained in Bristol fashion.

In America, guns were much more common, and saw harder use than they did in Old Blighty. Over time, American gunsmiths developed different styles of stocks, and different finishes to meet their customer's demands. American custom gunstock makers are arguably the best in the world now. The thinned varnish finish, or thinned PU finish, I described is intended to imitate the appearance of the freshly-applied classic London Finish, while improving its deficiencies and reducing costs. It soaks into the wood like BLO, but actually does harden without attracting dirt. When applied correctly, it is 100% more effective at retarding moisture migration in/out of the wood than BLO, and it is a lot tougher. And unlike the plastic-looking Weatherby finish, it is not just a surface finish, but continues to protect the wood even if it gets scratched or dinged. If you have ever spent a week hunting in the rain with a wooden stocked rifle, you know how important this is.

In the case of planes, I let the finish soak into the endgrain at heel, toe, and mouth over several coats until it won't soak up any more. I wet sand between coats after the end grain is well sealed to make a slurry and further seal the endgrain. I wipe off any finish on the surface after the final wet sanding.

On the flat areas, I apply the finish and wet sand to seal the grain. My skin reacts with white oak quickly turning the wood black, so this helps the plane remain clean looking. I typically leave just a little bit of surface finish on the top face, but none on the sides.

The sole is another matter. Here I do not let much finish soak in, but give it a couple of light coats and wipe it off. If I soak the sole, the friction and wear on the sole will cause the hardened PU to form streaky deposits on the sole, increasing friction and messing up the shine of the freshly-planed wood. A little dab'l do ya.

Since I have been finishing my wooden planes this way, I have found that I seldom have to true the soles anymore because the blocks simply don't warp as much. I don't touch up the soles after the finish has been worn through.

Give it a try Matt. You'll be impressed with the results and save yourself a lot of headaches over the years. I showed this finish applied to one of his planes to Nakano san last week in his living room, and he was impressed. I need to meet with Enomoto san and Watanabe san (Koyoshiya) directly to see if they will be willing to apply such a finish to the plane blocks I will have them cut for me in the future, but I doubt it.

Stan

[Brian Holcombe]

Stan,

Great insights as always! Nimura-san applies a finish to his end grain that looks something like a lacquer.....that said his dai still move on me most often so the finish he applies isn't doing much.

I've shellacked Enomoto san's dai, and that hasn't moved much so far, but I won't really know its tendencies until Jan/Feb, that's when my shop is at its driest.

[Stanley Covington]

Stan,

Great insights as always! Nimura-san applies a finish to his end grain that looks something like a lacquer.....that said his dai still move on me most often so the finish he applies isn't doing much.

I've shellacked Enomoto san's dai, and that hasn't moved much so far, but I won't really know its tendencies until Jan/Feb, that's when my shop is at its driest.

Yeah, a surface finish alone won't get the job done, and certainly can't be applied with useful results on the blade bed.