chess/checker board finish

[Charlie Fox]

i have tried with decent success using a wide variety of finishes - tung oil, linseed oil, danish oil, oil and water based poly (but no shellac.). thinned, not thinned, sprayed, aerosol can, brushed and wiped on. even heated - in more than one combination of those. even Osmo - so far that stuff has impressed the heck out of me, used on a pecan slab dinner table and its unreal .

but for the best seal against atmospheric (not direct water) moisture for a chess board (walnut and white oak or hard maple) i was thinking heated eoither danish/linseed/pure tung oil thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. at least 3 applications after each coat dried and sanded at 400 grit. then 3 coats of minwax poly matte.

over/under kill or maybe even just plain stupid?

shying toward danish oil for drying time - raw tung oil can take a while

[George Yetka]

How simple/complicated is the board. If its a basic square I would lean towards a waxed oil because its super easy to reapply in a few years. If its complicated then id rather do something that will be a permanent solution.

If you want something to last then that is not overkill.

[Kevin Jenness]

Think thick buildup for maximum effect. Epoxy, alkyd and polyurethane varnishes, shellac and lacquer in approximate descending order of permeability resistance. Your proposed schedule should be reasonable for most work, but given your chessboard's unbalanced construction don't expect miracles.

[Jim Becker]

i was thinking heated eoither danish/linseed/pure tung oil thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits.

Just a program note here...tung oil (pure) and BLO are drying oils. I would not thin them; just apply a very light coat and remove any excess after about 15 minutes. Let them cure overnight and if you wish, "rinse and repeat. Danish oil is not an "oil"...it's a finish that's a mixture of oil, varnish and spirits. It does penetrate, but it's essentially a film finish in the end. If you apply enough coats (also wipe on and wipe off excess) it will build up noticeably.

[Brian Tymchak]

i have tried with decent success using a wide variety of finishes - tung oil, linseed oil, danish oil, oil and water based poly (but no shellac.). thinned, not thinned, sprayed, aerosol can, brushed and wiped on. even heated - in more than one combination of those. even Osmo - so far that stuff has impressed the heck out of me, used on a pecan slab dinner table and its unreal .

but for the best seal against atmospheric (not direct water) moisture for a chess board (walnut and white oak or hard maple) i was thinking heated eoither danish/linseed/pure tung oil thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. at least 3 applications after each coat dried and sanded at 400 grit. then 3 coats of minwax poly matte.

over/under kill or maybe even just plain stupid?

shying toward danish oil for drying time - raw tung oil can take a while

You might investigate polymerized tung oil to reduce drying time. I've not used it yet personally, but I look forward to having a project that I can.

To be honest, IMHO, I don't know that 3 coats of oil and 3 coats of poly will provide any more moisture protection than 2 coats of each will. Assuming of course that this chess board will be in a climate controlled environment.

[Charlie Fox]

Just a program note here...tung oil (pure) and BLO are drying oils. I would not thin them; just apply a very light coat and remove any excess after about 15 minutes. Let them cure overnight and if you wish, "rinse and repeat. Danish oil is not an "oil"...it's a finish that's a mixture of oil, varnish and spirits. It does penetrate, but it's essentially a film finish in the end. If you apply enough coats (also wipe on and wipe off excess) it will build up noticeably.

this is really interesting as i have read and heard and MYself done many times a pure tung oil finish (yes the real raw stuff - $60/gallon at Woodcraft - and i use Bloxogen) -first thinning at least 50/50 with mineral spirits - the concept being use the mineral spirits to dissolve then deliver the tung oil deep into the wood, then the MS dries and leaves the TO behind. then do it again. i even did it again again. then ended with about 4 coats of pure TO. did that to this and 3 other red oak rocking horses similar to this (even a rocking yellow labrador lol(soft maple) ) some 20 yrs ago and each finish is still superb despite 15 years in the hot and humid summers and the cold and dry a few days followed by more humidity and heat in the Texas Gulf coast winters. i.e lots of flux. and of course kids rocking and rubbing on it. no wear noted.

and i understand about danish oil not being an "oil", just like i know Formby's "tung oil finish" is not tung oil. been around the block with this stuff learning the hard knocks. many moons back.

even more interesting - i had actually constructed the bodies of the horses 10 yrs earlier. basically they are a 4/4 core (without legs) made from a glued up panel to cut out the entire outline, then laminated in sections (leg, neck, body) with 4/4 and 8/4 on each side to get the thickness i wanted - then life got in the way (raising kids and career) so i put them in my Texas attic. for 10 yrs. and they looked like you would expect - all the laminates shrunk and left wide gaps everywhere. so i cut thin wedges of red oak and hammered them in to fill the gaps, then carved the horse's body with an angle grinder and holy gallahad disc and voila!

so my point is if there has been zero separation of any of the wood after that kind of history (post attic) maybe my thinned tung oil approach i used on my rocking horses is the way to go on the chess boards. so does this alter your perception of using thinned tung oil? are you going by just the lore, or have you actually tried it yourself and had a less - than-desireable result?

thats my frustration, i see time and time again people told they are wrong by the rules - but succeed with results. i guess you can say that i should wait 10 more years and then it will fail...... oh well

as a side note - i sold 2 at $1200 each; my grandklids have one and i have the other, and the rocking yellow labrador is at my grandsons home. i will die a happy man knowing my great great etc grandkids will fight over stuff like this i leave behind - and i hope many of you feel the same way about your work


IMG_7148.jpg

[Charlie Fox]

Just a program note here...tung oil (pure) and BLO are drying oils. I would not thin them; just apply a very light coat and remove any excess after about 15 minutes. Let them cure overnight and if you wish, "rinse and repeat. Danish oil is not an "oil"...it's a finish that's a mixture of oil, varnish and spirits. It does penetrate, but it's essentially a film finish in the end. If you apply enough coats (also wipe on and wipe off excess) it will build up noticeably.

with all due respect even the manufacturer recommends thinning for deeper penetration.

Screenshot 2023-10-30 175532.jpg

[Jim Becker]

That's kewel. I didn't say one can't or shouldn't thin it. I just said that "I" would not thin them and I don't. I've never felt the need.