Replies

1. 
   John_D | Mar 31, 2006 04:22am | #1

   I'm going to take a guess that you're talking about David Marks, who does Wood Works on DIYNetwork.  If I'm right, here's where he addresses this issue.  If I'm wrong, well, you can ignore this and I'll refund what you paid me.

   Heh.  Seriously, hope this helps.

   My goal is for my work to outlast me.  Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
1. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 31, 2006 12:26pm | #2

   Interestingly enough, the products cited, ArmorSeal and Seal-A-Cell, are not mixes of oil and varnish, but are wiping varnishes using those oils and resins as ingredients before undergoing the chemical reaction that turns them into varnish.  You would get very similar results by adding thinner to a good varnish such as Behlen's Rockhard or McCloskey Heirloom or Pratt & Lambert 38.  These examples forego the urethane, which isn't needed for furniture, and which is somewhat hazy in comparison to these traditional resin varnishes.   

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Mar 31, 2006 06:01pm | #3

   Steve, I think you will find that the GF Seal-A-Cell is actually a sort of oil/varnish product.  It is a varnish cut with some additional oil with the intent that it penetrate more deeply than a standard varnish.  While it does not contain the high percentage of oil in some other oil/varnishes (Watco, Minwax Tung Oil, etc) it still is an oil heavy product.  I liken it to Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish which is also a similar product.  Both the Seal-A-Cell and the Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish can be either brushed or wiped on and either wiped off or let dry without wiping.

   The Arm-R-Seal is a thinned wiping varnish as  you said.Howie.........

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 01, 2006 04:52am | #4

   Could be, though I certainly couldn't be confident from the marketing speak on the General Finishes web pages.  Bob Flexner has them both classified as wiping varnishes (along with the Waterlox Original/Sealer) in his revised edition of Understanding Wood Finishes. 

   FTC sure ought to make finish manufacturers disclose the product identities more clearly.  Personally, I don't use finishes with such ambiquous descriptions--with Formby's Tung Oil Finish being at the top of my "I don't care if its a good product--I don't like the marketing."  list. 

    

2. 
   forestgirl | Apr 01, 2006 06:53pm | #5

   Since no one else has done this, I'm going to issue the standard, but crucial, caveat:  Practice on scrap before you touch your workpiece.

   You didn't mention what kind of wood you're finishing.  That info will help you get some good advice here.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)