What’s your guys favorite finishing ways. Examples like using weather wash to make wood look old, putting different stains together to make a look, favorite stain and top coats etc., and what you like to put on certain woods.
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Hi Kaleb,
It all depends on what I'm making. For turning, I use 100% tung oil followed by sprayed lacquer. For items that need to be food safe and get washed frequently, spoons, cutting boards, etc., I use 100% tung oil on utensils and my own blend of tung oil, beeswax, and Carnauba wax on boards. For furniture I use General Finishes Seal-A-Cell followed by several coats of Arm-R-Seal.
If I have to color wood, trans-tint dyes and sometimes gel stains if I'm going for a particular look, e.g., Stickley Fayetteville. I don't use regular stain (Minwax type, hope I'm not insulting a sponsor). Possible generalization--stains sit on the surface and tend to cover figure and grain, dyes penetrate and allow you to play with the figure and grain. I also find I can mix my own shades to build up to the color I want. I've also used milk paint with a wax, lacquer, or poly topcoat. Probably more than you wanted to know.
Tried & True on Cherry, Osmo 1101 on walnut, & water based Minwax Polycrylic on maple.
I too like T&T on cherry. Easy and a great look. I also like Osmo Dark on white oak.
Hi Stevieray
What’s the difference between osmo dark finish and minwax stain or is it more like a colored top coat like polyurethane but tinted with color
Osmo is an oil and liquid wax blend. It comes in tiny jars, but I only used half of one to do a coat on a large sideboard--and one coat seems sufficient. You rub it in with a non-abrasive pad and wait an hour, then wipe dry with a towel. You can recoat in 24 hours, but I'm not sure that's needed. I tried three coats on the cupboard door frames and can't tell the difference--no darker, no richer.
I'm not sure where the "dark" color comes from, although Osmo says it's a natural product and it's not a stain.
So Osmo Dark is not like Minwax stain or poly. It's a completely different universe. I'm impressed with the results on white oak, although it's useless in bringing our ray flakes in quartersawn white oak. For that you need another approach--dies or stains. Or ammonia fuming.
Hi elmaduro,
there are several T&T products. Which do you have in mind for cherry?
thanks!
Their traditional Varnish Oil. Christian Becksvroot's long ago FWW article regarding T&T was very good and I like the non-toxic part. Haven't tried their beeswax version enough to know the difference.
thanks!
The regular Tried & True Danish Oil looks great on cherry. I've also tried the Varnish Oil and can't tell the difference. Both look great and are the easiest and most tolerant finishes I've ever used.
Altho I have a large collection of "regular" and gel stains, I basically never use them. I now always use TransTint dyes in alcohol. Most of my coloring of wood is for churches, which seem to like oak or maple colored to a dark, chocolate brown. It is very hard to get an even color on such dense wood using stain. If you insist, make sure you don't sand past 150 or 180 grit, as the dense parts of the oak will not hold any stain unless they have the tooth left by the coarser grit.
Using alcohol with TransTint can be tricky, as the alcohol dries quickly. However, it doesn't raise the grain. I mix the dye a little light, then do two coats which ends up much evener than one dark one.
My go-to finish is Waterlox Original Transparent, a tung oil based wiping varnish. I'm still experimenting with Tried and True, mostly on home made dogwood carving chisel handles.
When I need to match a factory finish, I get someone to spray sanding sealer and lacquer.
Try mixing some water with your TransTint dye stains. That will slow the dry time. Go half & half with ethyl alcohol, or vary the ratio to get what you are looking for. TransTints are very lightfast, but not as much as pigment stains. "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner is a great reference book to have on finishing.
Doesn’t the water based dyes make it look artificial or is that not the case for brown colored and if you make it brown will it look as good as minwax oil based stain
The TransTint dyes can be used with water and/or ethyl alcohol. The water and alcohol are diluting the intensity of the concentrated dye. Once they evaporate, the chosen color remains. I think your question relates to how the early wood rings lack contrast with the late wood rings when using dye stains. I am referring to oak as it is a ring porous wood. If using A pigment type stain, the deeper pores of the early wood rings will look darker than the late wood rings. Thus you have more contrast. Rock maple on the other hand look awful when using a pigment stain. Use dyes on maple to get better color.
Usually water based dyes are bright colored and wood isn’t that way; is there any way to change that. Below I have some examples of what I’m confused about circled because the darker spots don’t show up as the grain pattern. But I have found the wood dye brings out the grain in pine
No one uses oil based wipe-on poly? Can’t seem to have a reason to change, but am open to change.
Most of my work is finished with shellac with the only decision being is it blond, amber, or garnet. Then wax. I use the garnet on cherry and the blond on maple.
Lately, I've been experimenting with oil finishes. I've tried a few and really like the Tried and True line. I have both their varnish (partially polymerized linseed oil plus pine resin) and their partially polymerized linseed oil plus beeswax.
What’s the difference between beeswax and linseed oil and others or the regular finishes
I dont have a favorite, but I've gotten rid of most of my oil-based stains. I'll use transtint dyes for some things. But mostly prefer colored danish oil if I need to add color. Top coat, I use shellac or lacquer for small things, Waterlox for big things. If I ever run out of my supply, I'll give Rubio or Osmo a try.
Recently I've been finishing everything that does not get hard use with Osmo. So easy and beautiful finish.
I've got a few options. I like shellac, classic easy and repairable If I need to. For heavy use items I like a blend of oil and poly. Food items get mineral oil bath and a mineral oil/wax top coat.
That said I did order a small can of Rubio monocot, I used on one project and was impressed. It is expensive but for a small end table I made it barely used any of the can. I used it as I didn't have time for multiple coats but I'll try it again.
The only thing I use with color is shellac and usually I use blonde.
For most stuff - not exposed to sun or water -
1) Seal coats -
- Dewaxed shellac thinned 50/50 w/ grain alcohol - 2 coats. Then -
2) Top coats -
If I want lighter finish that retains wood grain, etc. - put on a few more coats of shellac.
If I want a bit of a harder/more protective surface - add 1-2 coats of Arm R Seal (gloss) on top of the shellac. Then -
3) Finish layer -
If want less gloss - sand with 000 steel wool. Wax optional.
If want leave gloss as is - burnish with brown paper to get a smooth finish.