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Thread: Utility finishes from a different perspective

  1. #16
    The "dirty secret" to drying oil finishes is UV and a very very thin application. Thats why the traditional tung and linseed oil finishes are wiped on then back off (thinnest coat) and then allowed good exposure to sunlight (UV) until dry/hard. Then you apply the next coat. You build finish this way.

    You put on a thick coat and you get a goody mess that never cures. Thats what happens with the "drop" on glass... The only thing the gooey drop on glass really shows is that you can't apply the stuff thick like you can varnish.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Atikokan, Rainy River district, Ontario
    Posts
    3,540
    Quote Originally Posted by John C Cox View Post
    The "dirty secret" to drying oil finishes is UV and a very very thin application. Thats why the traditional tung and linseed oil finishes are wiped on then back off (thinnest coat) and then allowed good exposure to sunlight (UV) until dry/hard. Then you apply the next coat. You build finish this way.

    You put on a thick coat and you get a goody mess that never cures. Thats what happens with the "drop" on glass... The only thing the gooey drop on glass really shows is that you can't apply the stuff thick like you can varnish.
    Tung oil cures by polymerization, (it does not dry or needs UV for that, but oxygen), by Polymerization (molecules combining to form long chains) and oxidation (combining with Oxygen from the air) there are no secrets at all, and you can do it in total darkness.
    Have fun and take care

  3. #18
    I call 'film' finishes surface finishes because they don't penetrate the wood, but sit on the surface. They are mostly spray finished or water based finishes. Fine for pieces that never get used, but for daily use pieces, the finish will always end up cracking, chipping, or peeling off, and are a pain to do over, which is the only way there is to make them look good again...

    robo hippy

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Fort Pierce, Florida
    Posts
    3,498
    Many finishes have been used for centuries if not thousands of years. Look at Asian lacquerware. Daily use in households and passed down for generations in some cases. Mahoney said he started with shellac, but went to Walnut oil after seeing a set of bowls that he had given to a family member that were no longer being used because the finish had degraded too much.
    Retired - when every day is Saturday (unless it's Sunday).

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Pendleton, KY
    Posts
    803
    Thanks for all of the responses. Great information.

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