Replies

1. 
   chise2 | Feb 24, 2004 09:54am | #1

   Supposedly when you 1st apply an oil it penetrates the wood and brings out the grain pattern or figure of the wood. Personally, I can't tell the difference between wood finished with oil and a film finish (shellac, poly, lacquer, etc) and wood finished with just a film finish but I've heard over and over that oil brings out the figure.

   As far shellac vs poly: If shellac is padded on you can put on several very thin coats giving you a film finish effect without the plastic look of poly. But then you can also thin poly and wipe it on in thin coats.

   Orange shellac has a wonderful warm tone but I suppose with some effort this could be achieved with dye. All film finishes provide better protection than oil alone and more dramatically change the way light reflects off the wood like dipping a dry and dull but smooth stone into water. Poly is more durable than shellac although shellac holds up well. Shellac will dissolve in alcohol so it is not recommended for a bar top. Shellac can be repaired much easier than polyurethane

1. 
   PaulPeter | Feb 24, 2004 09:28pm | #2

   Chisel: Thank you. Your explanation is very helpful

2. 
   AlbionWood | Feb 24, 2004 10:16pm | #3

   I can think of a few advantages to oil & shellac:

   1. Speed.  You can build a shellac-over-oil finish in half a day.  (See Tage Frid's book and look up the 4-F finish.)  And because it's fast, there's less problem with dust getting into it as it dries.
   2. Appearance.  Shellac looks better than poly... IMHO.  Frid's 4-F finish technique gives the appearance of multiple coats of oil, almost instantly.
   3. Repairability.  Shellac is as easy to repair as it is to damage... Poly is nearly impossible to repair.
   4. Smell.  I love the smell of shellac! (After the alcohol is gone, of course.)  And everybody loves the smell of linseed oil.

   As to whether the oil really has much effect on the appearance... I think there's room for debate.  I did some test pieces with fumed oak, and I thought I could detect a little greater "depth" in the shellac-over-oil vs. shellac only, but it might have been observational bias.

   There's my two cents worth!

   "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

1. 
   PaulPeter | Feb 25, 2004 04:52pm | #4

   Thank you for your sound advice. Could you tell me the title of Tage Frid's book that contains the 4-F finish, or better yet, would you simple list the 4 steps; I've done enough finishing to probably know the requirements of each step.

   Thank you for your interest in helping me.

   PaulPeter

1. 
   AlbionWood | Feb 25, 2004 07:03pm | #5

    Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking: Shaping, Veneering, Finishing, page 188-189.  4-F stands for Frid's Fast Fine Finish.

   First put on a nice even coat of oil using a rag, then immediately brush on a coat of 3-lb cut orange shellac.  Let dry just until tacky, then rub off the excess with steel wool, going with the grain, until all the oil and shellac are removed from the surface.  Wipe with a dry cloth and you're done!  For a higher shine, add another coat of shellac, without the oil. 

   Works best for small pieces, because if the stuff gets too dry it is really hard to rub off, and then you have a mess.  Frid says to use raw linseed or Watco, but I did it successfully with boiled linseed; you just have to work faster.  I also used garnet lac, and padded on more shellac to get the color and shine I wanted."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

1. 
   PaulPeter | Feb 25, 2004 08:56pm | #6

   Thank you very much!