Finishing larger bowls with watco oil, EEE and shellawax cream

[Daniel L Cross]

Hello everyone, quick question regarding abrasive pastes like yorkshire grit or EEE ultra shine: if an oil like watco is used on the turning, does it need to cure for a few days before using the abrasive paste? Thanks for any help or advice.

I seem to find a number of references which indicate that many people are taking the raw turning and going right to the paste and then a wax...may have to consider that as a fast and good quality finish.

[John K Jordan]

Hello everyone, quick question regarding abrasive pastes like yorkshire grit or EEE ultra shine: if an oil like watco is used on the turning, does it need to cure for a few days before using the abrasive paste? Thanks for any help or advice.

I seem to find a number of references which indicate that many people are taking the raw turning and going right to the paste and then a wax...may have to consider that as a fast and good quality finish.

I use Watco "danish" oil a lot. I typically apply 6 to 10 coats over period of a few weeks. I let the initial coat dry for two days, then each additional coat one day (apply, wipe off after 20 minutes or so.) This builds a thin film that can be buffed to anything from a soft sheen to a high gloss. I always let the final coat cure for at least two days before buffing with abrasive, often longer. (I use the Beale buffing wheels) I immediately apply Renaissance Wax. Note that this is a good quality finish but not a fast one. I'm rarely in a rush.

penta_jatoba_IMG_7636 - Copy.jpg cherry_bowl.jpg

I don't use the abrasive pastes you mentioned.

The number of finishing variations are nearly infinite. I know people who finish with Renaissance Wax on bare wood.

JKJ

[Mike Nathal]

If you use the mineral oil-based pastes on bare wood, I would be concerned that the oil will interfere with a film finish. If you don't want a film finish, just wax and/or more mineral oil would be fine as a utility finish that would need to be re-applied after some amount of use. I suspect that the reason most paste instructions call for sealing the wood first is to prevent the wood from from absorbing too much oil and wax, and thus allowing for a film finish. Although i haven't tried Danish oil prior to abrasive paste, I would think it would act as a sealant, but should be cured prior to any abrasive paste.

[Pat Scott]

Occasionally I will use Dr. Kirk's Scratch FREEE wax, which is used on bare wood prior to Danish Oil or other finishes. It is a fine abrasive wax like EEE Ultra Shine (hence the play on words with FREEE). The difference between EEE and FREEE is that FREEE has no chemicals, solvents, and is non-toxic. I've had no problems with using Danish Oil on top of Scratch FREEE. Using any of the abrasive waxes is not a finish by themselves. They might look good for a few days or few weeks, but then will look faded and dry so you need something else. Many people think sanding sealer is fine all by itself, but the same thing will happen with it (the piece looks dry after a few weeks).