Alternatives to Myland's High Friction Finish for a shaving cream bowl

[Allen Seidman]

I made my 1st real item on my used Jet 1236 lathe today. A shaving cream dish. Since it will get wet daily, I'd like a finish that will deal with moisture well.

The dish is made of cherry. I love the look of Myland's High Friction Finish, but is it durable when used on an item that will get wet ? And if not, what are my options ? I am thinking Waterlox which I have used on wood slabs with great results but please do tell !

What would you use ?
Why ?
How confident are you that it will protect the wood ?

Thanks
Allen

[John K Jordan]

...I love the look of Myland's High Friction Finish, but is it durable when used on an item that will get wet ? ...

I don't have a good answer except that in my experiene Mylands friction polish (shellac) to be all that durable when it gets wet. I found the gloss fades requiring reapplication. Even things that don't normally get wet lose their gloss from handing, probably from the moisture and oils from the skin. Some use it for pens that get handled a lot and use carnauba as a top coat. I have no idea how these hold up over the years. I have had long-term good luck with a CA glue on pens, applied almost like a friction polish.

Some have told me they use epoxy as a finish when waterproofing. Others use polyurethane. I've had reasonably good results with "danish" oil, actually a mixture of varnish, oil, and thinner. This penetrates the wood some on the first coat or two then subsequent coats build up the finish a bit. I typically apply 10 coats or more over about 2 weeks, letting each dry well.

A google search for waterproof finishes for wood gave these first:
https://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwor...ater-resistant
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how...terproof-wood/

You might also look for what kinds of finish people use for wood on boats and canoe paddles.

BTW, for kitchen things I usually use wood species that have some oil and/or resins in the wood. I've had good luck with cocobolo and have a theme going now with olive wood. I often don't use a finish but just buff the wood but this doesn't give a high gloss. A pepper grinder from cocobolo still has a gloss after years of use. However these woods can be very expensive; it is far more practical to use domestic wood! Some people who make cereal and salad bowls that get washed after use no finish, but these are not glossy - they get washed, rinsed, then dried.

Congratulations on your first "real item" on your new lathe! (Pictures are nice )

JKJ

[Paul Williams]

If water is going to sit in it I would use epoxy. If it just gets wet daily but dries out each day, I would consider spar varnish or CA glue. I have finished several oars and canoe paddles with spar varnish and it holds up well, but I don't think it would if left in the water for long periods of time.

[Richard Coers]

What's a shaving cream dish? You mean shaving soap dish? If the cake of soap sits there wet everyday, as mentioned, epoxy.

[Allen Seidman]

Yes. Soap will not be left in the dish.

[allen thunem]

i made some shaving brushes and found multiple coats of thin c.a. glue worked well but they are not in constant contact with the soap.
not many finishes will hold up to shaving soap over time.
eppifanes makes a marine varnish that is tough as nails

[Don Stephan]

The maker of Waterlox told me it would not stand up to regular washing with mild dish soap (cereal bowl).

[David Walser]

Allen -- You've gotten some good suggestions for a finish. Allow me to make a suggestion that may fall in the 'next time' category: If I were to make a shaving mug or the handle for a razor, and if I wanted to use wood, I'd stabilize the wood before turning it. Stabilized wood has been impregnated with a plastic resin. Generally, vacuum is used to draw the resin deep into the wood before the resin is cured. Properly done, the stabilized wood is fairly well protected from water.

I'm not suggesting that you stabilize your finished shaving dish. You could, but the stabilization process involves heat to cure the resin and the combination of soaking the wood under vacuum in the resin followed by heating in an oven (at a relatively low temperature) can distort the shape of the item. It might also leave some excess resin cured on the surface of your dish. It might be possible to remount the dish on the lathe after it's been stabilized, but I wouldn't recommend that to a new turner.

So, next time, consider using stabilized wood for something that is going to be exposed to water frequently. There is probably another turner close to you who'd be willing to show you the process.