Finish for wine bottle stoppers

[Jeffrey Cole]

Good morning, I am going to turn some wooden tops for wine bottle stoppers. I will use the kits and then turn the tops. For a finish, I was thinking of using TITEBOND INSTANT BOND, like the pen turners use. Will that be OK when stored in a refrigerator. What other finishes can you recommend that will be refrigerator safe?
Thank you for your time!!
Jeffrey

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have used brushing lacquer and superglue.

[Clay Fails]

I have been pleased with the various Doctor's Woodshop products for stoppers. Start with walnut oil as sanding lubricant, then friction polish either Pens Plus or his finish with microcrystalline wax, oil and shellac. Other similar finishes likely perform similarly. I'm not big on CA glue finishes.

[terry richards]

8 - 10 coats of high gloss spray lacquer.

[Dok Yager]

I have used friction polish, lacquer and poly all applied at the lowest speed of the lathe with a clean rag. Multiple coats. Then polish with 1000 or 1500.

[Michael Armstrong]

I use CA glue. It is very durable and polishes up well.

Michael

[John K Jordan]

I don't use shellac (including shellac-based friction polish) since alcohol will dissolve it and leave spots.

What kind of wood?

On hard exotics like the pink flame and cocobolo below I generally just buff the bare wood and wax. Sometimes CA glue. Oil finish will turn cocobolo dark quickly but is nice on other woods. In my experience some exotics don't take finishes like lacquer gracefully. TruOil is a tough varnish that seems to hold up well.

343798

JKJ

[Jamie Straw]

This has been a question for me also, asked and answered on a different forum, and I've done a number of searches. Finish recommendations vary depending on how much trouble a turner wants to go to, whether the piece is being sold and at what price, and just plain ol' preference. Some people like a super-shiny surface, some prefer more natural, and high-gloss admirers may still feel that CA just looks too plastic. I've experimented mostly with BLO+CA (boiled linseed oil + cyanoacrylate glue), rattle can lacquer, and wipe-on poly. Click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-FXOsMR2tY&list=PLNv2UZA8fY-SLIEerlt8RvPozSqphIQPU&index=2)for a video on the BLO/CA, which is really quick to apply. Regarding shellac, you can still use shellac as a sealer, underneath another finish. One approach I like is dipping into wipe-on poly. I install hex-head bolts into the stopper, dip the stopper, and then hang it from a magnetic rail (upside-down), and as it drips use the corner of a paper towel (carefully) to wick the drip away. Got that idea from an AAW turner. Only way to find what works for you is to experiment!:)

My plug for Ruth Niles bottle stoppers (http://www.nilesbottlestoppers.com/).