wood finish what to use

[curtis rosche]

i need help finding a good finish that looks good i love waterlox but i only have that to use at school and i found that to buy it in PA is $30 a quart and they arent allowed to ship it to pa from anywhere with out having to pay the same price is there a cheaper finish that looks just as good or better thats as easy and quick ?

[Jim Becker]

Pick any oil based varnish you like or have available and if it's designed for brushing, thin it 50/50 with mineral spirits to make a wiping varnish. As a variation, do a 33/33/33 mix of varnish, mineral spirits and BLO for a "Danish Oil". Both are great for turning including application on the lathe (manually, not with it spinning) and then "pushing" the finish with friction using a soft cloth and a few hundred RPM.

Avoid a varnish with polyurethane in it if you can...it will not buff out as nicely. Poly is for floors. ;)

If you want a "ready to apply" wiping product, Minwax Antique Oil Finish is a winner for turnings, IMHO. One of the only Minwax products I'll touch.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I'm with Jim.....I buy Min-Wax varnish and thin it 50-50 varnish and mineral spirits.

But I love Min-Wax Antique Oil....I have to order it from a local Ace Hardware. It's not cheap....about $8 a quart but....it goes on easy and looks and buffs out great.......Just brush it on say the outside of a bowl.....turn the bowl upside down over something and let the outside dry overnight. The next morning....sop it on the inside of the bowl.......let it dry overnight.....2 coats....takes about 3-4 days with the drying cycles but boy does it buff out nice!

[Thomas Bennett]

I'm glad Curtis started this thread as I am as confused as ever about finishing. I mentioned in a previous post I was using MinWax poly for my bowls. Someone(Jim, I think) responded I should move away from it and find a better finish. This I want to do..but which one?
I've had great results with MinWax poly for 20 -some years in my cabinet shop. I've tried everything..laquers(moisture problems, they stink, too) waterbased(not durable on high traffic cabinetry, doesn't last , flakes off, raises grain, incompatable with some dyes and stains..it's water on wood! etc.) I keep going back to MinWax poly. I heat it to 100-120 degrees and spray it with a Binks No. Seven car painting gun. It lays well(especially heated) and levels nicely.Takes a while to dry but I usually plan my work day to end with a spray session. We spray it when it's cold outside, or unbearably hot. No additives needed. Sometimes I do get some dust in it. Just sand it our and touch it up. I've had rotten luck repairing conversion varnishes, laquers, waterbased, etc..especially in the field. With the MinWax, repair is easy and foolproof. In other words, it works for me and I'm comfortable with it.

That said, I realize bowls are a different matter. After quite a bit of fooling around, I'm having some good results spraying (heated)MinWax on bowls with an airbrush. It seems to buff out...but I don't have any thing to campare it to. It cetainly doesn't cover any defects. I've seen some fellow woodturning club member's work simply sprayed with can-laquer, buffed out and looking stunning, beautiful!
I want a maintenace free, durable finish , one that will not spot with water drops and won't need "fed" every so often.

My questions:
Do those of you opposed to Minwax dislike it because of the solid content?(I use the semi-gloss)
Does the MinWax Antiwue oil have polyurethane in it? I checked MinWax's web site and they don't seem to make any varnish except poly products.
Are the conventional oil varnishes just as durable as polyurethane?
Last question, and I value and use the opinions on this site, am I on the wrong track with MinWax polyurethane. Believe me, I'm not trying to convert anyone, just find a good dependable finish. Please help me!!!!

[Allen Neighbors]

My answer for a good, stable finish, that lasts, is too easy to apply, and is even food safe after it cures. :)
Lacquer wash: 60-65% Lacquer/35-40% Thinner.
For finishing: Apply wet coat. Allow to dull while turning the lathe by hand to ensure it evenly soaks in. Turn on the lathe, ramp up to about 1200 or so and buff dry with clean tee-shirt material. Leaves a nice glossy shine, and after curing an hour or two, buffs out beautifully.
For using CA glue: Apply wet coat. Wipe off with lathe slow immediately. Blow out the cracks with blast of air. Apply CA. 220 Grit will sand away any stain that seems to be left along the crack, if there is any, it's on the surface...
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For Spraying Pieces, I use Clear Lacquer, thinned with nearly a full film cannister of retarder, and 15% Thinner. I never empty the gun, and clean it rarely. The lacquer is ready to use when I need it. Just connect the airline and take out the little wire I keep in the air hole, pull the trigger while rubbing my finger across the spray nozzle, and it's ready to go. Lacquer melts lacquer. My cleaning consists of soaking the spray nozzle overnight in a small jar of lacquer thinner when it seems to be getting gunky. My present cheap spray gun is somewhere around 10 years old, and I've never had it apart for a thorough cleaning.
Lacquer is our friend. :D

[Bernie Weishapl]

I am like Ken. I love Minwax Antique Oil. I use it on most of my turnings except for small stuff such as lidded boxes, birdhouses, ornaments, etc. in which I use spray can lacquer. I use Minwax Antique oil on my bowls and they are food safe after setting for 72 hrs. I always let them sit for a couple of weeks before I use them. I talked with Ernie Conover and that is all he uses on his utility turnings. I also like to use General Finishes Seal-A-Cell and the Arm-R-Seal. I have a set of salad bowls that I did about 1 1/2 yrs ago and they are still going strong. I use Antique Oil on all of my vases and HF's. Then buff after a couple of coats.

[Rasmus Petersen]

Allen : ?? full film cannister of retarder... what´s retarder

And the setup with spray can sounds really easy and should work... i have some of the realy cheap sprayguns lying around...