Waterlox over wiping varnish

I recently made a piece out of cherry and finished it with a wiping varnish I mixed up out of 1/3 BLO, 1/3 Helmsman Poly, 1/3 mineral spirits.

It was my first time using it and I like the look, but we put the piece in a room full of other cherry furniture with Waterlox on it. The Waterlox has much more gloss to it.

Would it be ok to apply a coat of Waterlox to make them look more even? Or should I keep adding coats of wiping varnish to try and get it glossier? I only have 3 coats on now.

Thanks,

Travis

You made an oil varnish. That should be wipes on and wiped off. Won’t build to a hard, glossy film. It will also be less dark than waterlox (assuming u mean original sealer finish which is a real wiping varnish that will build a film).

Your mix will also not be as durable as waterlox. Your mix is not a bad finish. But the Waterlox is a superior choice for what it seems u want to do.

Cherry changes color over time so that affects things too.

Prashun, I agree with everything you said. My question still remains though, can I put a coat or two of waterlox over my home made wiping varnish with no ill effects?

Thanks

I will add that Waterlox is also essentially a wiping varnish... :) It's just a well proven manufactured version. I see no issue with you applying it over your existing finish...just lightly abrade with a pad or 320-400 paper to promote better adhesion and knock off any dust nibs, etc.

Thanks Jim, I didn't think there would be any issues since they're essentially the same thing but you never know!

Another option is to just leave out the BLO in your homebrew. Just thin the Helmsman with MS and wipe it on. You'll get any sheen you want depending upon which sheen of varnish you are using.

John

Yes you can apply the Waterlox over the brew provided the surface is thoroughly dry and hard

I’ve done something similar. Put down a wash coat of shellac and the Waterlox went on perfect. An extra step, but it can give you piece of mind.

As long as you thoroughly wiped off the excess of your original mixture, you should be fine. Adding more coats of your mixture won't really do anything (i.e. build up any gloss) since it leaves a negligible amount of finish on the surface. You'd probably need like 30 coats of oil/varnish mixture to equal one coat of Waterlox.