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Thread: Outdoor tool handle finish

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    Wenatchee. Wa
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    Outdoor tool handle finish

    I am reposting this question here in the Turners forum because the answers I received in the Finishing forum seemed to not give many options. Turners have to finish occasionally and I suspect there will be a number of ways to adequately finish outdoor wooden tool handles.

    "I am turning several garden trowel handles about 15" long as gifts. White oak is the wood. What is a recommendation for a finish that will hold up and perhaps can be renewed. Spar varnish seems to be overkill. Sometime back I heard of using a mixture of BLO and Turpentine, don't recall the proportions. Any experienced suggestions?"

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Northern MN
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    389
    Oils are the least durable and the most renewable. So that makes them the best, or the worst, depending on how you look at it.

    All finishes fail when they see enough moisture and sun. The most initially durable are film finishes (e.g., spar varnish), but once they start to fail, bringing them back is difficult, generally sanding it all or mostly off, then recoating. The secret to outdoor film finishes is to maintain them before they look like they need to be maintained, which is generally not a way people operate (including me, a lot of the time).

    Oil is nice because it feels good in the hand. What it lacks in durability it makes up for in ease of re-application. If you really think these tools will get used and maintained, then you might even consider including a vial of oil with the gift so maintenance is easy. Also, if the reapplication doesn't happen before some "patina" is acquired, overcoating with oil generally blends in with the patina well. A varnished handle that has been damaged from lack of maintenance and is then overcoated with varnish generally looks like what it is, a damaged finish that was overcoated too late.

    I don't know that any particular oil is uniquely better than others, they all have their "features". In your case, I would think you'd want something that will have a good shelf life in a vial so people can go back to it over the course of years-- you don't want it curing in the vial. Oil/beeswax blends are popular; there are commercial products based on this, or you can make your own, just google it. I might steer clear of BLO because of fire concerns -- the recipients of your gifts might not be careful with the rag they use to apply. Tung oil might be a good choice, though I can't seem to get a clear read on whether it is a fire concern also. Mineral oil will never go bad and will not spontaneously combust, but it also never cures, so the handle will remain a little oily. Mineral oil and beeswax won't go bad, and the beeswax has a pleasant odor. Having the wax component covers some for the fact that the mineral oil doesn't cure.

    Here's an idea to make your gift extra special. Turn a small wood box out of the same wood and fill it with an oil beeswax mixture for recoating.

    Best,

    Dave

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    Wenatchee. Wa
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    Thank you Dave for your thoughtful and thorough reply. Your observation that when reapplied in the future the acquired patina will be an enhancement is very true. I wonder if a cyanoacrylate finish applied when on the lathe would be a good option. I have no idea how well it would hold up to the elements and abuse.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
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    Wayland, MA
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    I leave most tool handles unfinished. They feel better that way. I don't have any need for outdoor tool handles to be shiny and I try hard not to leave them out in the rain. A little oil (tung or BLO) for presentation purposes is fine, but I wouldn't expect or need to maintain a finish on tools being used in the dirt.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    E TN, near Knoxville
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    12,298
    I put BLO on wood things that are exposed to weather - tool handles, trailer beds, barn/shed doors. I apply with a brush and put on as much as will soak in. If the handle is already weathered a lot soaks in. Dries hard and seems to protect well. I reapply every couple of years or so.

    JKJ

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    Wenatchee. Wa
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    I wonder where I got the information to use turpentine with BLO? I remember using it many years ago and was impressed at how well the rake handle looked a year later.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Lakewood, CO
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    By adding turpentine to BLO all you're doing is thinning the BLO so it soaks in better. If you mix in varnish now you've just made Danish oil. Adding varnish gives a little more protection and is still easy to reapply when needed.

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