I am finishing a rocking horse for my son. It is mostly cherry and maple with walnut accents on the saddle.
I am looking for suggestions for the finish.
I am considering spar varnish, poly (possibly water based), shellac with varnish topcoat, but I am open to suggestions. I am concerned with grain raise with water based poly as one piece has a very coarse grain already.
I would like it to be durable and repairable as I hope it becomes an heirloom piece.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
BTW, new to this site and relatively new to woodworking. Great site. VERY informative.
TIA
Jeff J
Replies
I would use non-poly spar varnish, wiped on. It will give a lovely deep finish, and probably won't need repair!!
Spar varnish is relatively soft, it wouldn't be my first choice.
Personally, I would go with shellac. Shellac offers long term repairability that any varnish makes difficult. It will scratch more often, but those scratches will be easily fixed, without even requiring a full scale sanding. A rocking horse wouldn't be subject to standing water or chemical risks that would call for the additional protection of varnish. Shellac offers a good base for oil based enamel if you have things to paint--such as a saddle or the harness.
Steve,
I have had a painted rocking horse in the house for about 7 years - it used to get hammered. This one was painted with ordinary interior gloss enamel.
I think that the wear makes the horse look loved and will not repair it in the short term, but I might have had a different view if I had used a clear finish. The rails between the legs were done with poly (used white oak) and have not shown unacceptable damage in that time - they get used as steps to mount.
Dave
Spar varnish is relatively soft, it wouldn't be my first choice.
I should have just gone ahead and said in my post that this would be a criticism of its use. I have used spar (non-poly) varnish for most of my wipeon refinishing tasks for many many years and often posted such. No less a person than Jim Kull on Wood Magazine finally pointed out to the naysayers that the flexibility and "softness" (I SWEAR it 'feels" hard, you guys!!) can be a finish that is forgiving of dents by little feet and cars, etc. It has been so in a home that raised 3 active children and now grands. Sometimes experience is a better teacher than chemistry.
So I just still offer it as a possibility for a toy horse.Gretchen
I am assuming that the horse would be made of hardwoods. Softwood, such as pine might as you point out, benefit from the flexibility of spar to cope with the numerous dings that would happen, in addition to the scrapes and scratches. The reality is that many finishes never really get stressed to their limits making lots of choices work satisfactorily, even if they aren't optimal.
The criticism of spar varnish being soft is based on the usual way of applying several coats of it with a brush, building up a film on the wood that can be quite soft. Applied this way the finish can actually pick up a mark from something being sat on it for awhile.
If you are applying it as a wipe on finish then the film would be very thin and it might not have a problem with being soft.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
Thanks. I would suspect your analysis/explanation is correct/helpful since I have not had any problem with table tops, etc. picking up anything. It is resistant to water and heat also. Not cogent for a rocking horse of course.
I don't really mind the comments about it and have stopped suggesting it basically. I just happen to have a lot of experience with it working VERY well.Gretchen
It's still going to be soft--the material is what it is. It might not be thick enough to show the mark in the same way, but the thinness also means that it doesn't offer much of the protective quality usually associated with spar varnish. The basic hardness of the underlying wood may well be sufficient to keep an item well preserved.
Frankly, most situations never test finishes to their ultimate potential. That's why people can love their BLO finishes, which offers almost no real protection, or why shellac is still a viable finish for fine furniture despite its vulnerablity to alkali chemicals. Consequently, most of the time you can choose a finish based on how it looks or how easily it can be applied.
Frankly, most situations never test finishes to their ultimate potential. That's why people can love their BLO finishes, which offers almost no real protection, or why shellac is still a viable finish for fine furniture despite its vulnerablity to alkali chemicals. Consequently, most of the time you can choose a finish based on how it looks or how easily it can be applied.
Well, there you have it--eh?
Gretchen
Gretchen,
Shellac is vulnerable to alkali chemicals? What in gods name are you putting alkali chemicals on a fine piece of furniture for ? Didn't your mother ever tell you the only thing you should ever use is a slightly damp cloth? Then sparingly and never damp enough to leave water..
That applies to not only shellac but any finish on a piece of fine furniture..
Well, jeez Frenchy, I'm not. Watch your reply box. And I personally wouldn't even put a lightly damp cloth on a shellac finish.Gretchen
Gretchen,
Let me simply explain my experiance with shellac. I have a foot stool my father made as a school project for his mother. That was back in about 1934 it was finished in shellac (although I didn't know it) and over the years I have really abused that poor old footstool.. Muddy boots, damp shoes left on it etc.. No place does it show the clouding which is supposed to happen to shellac when water gets on it.
My piano too was done with shellac sometime in the 1930's, again no sign of clouding..
I don't for a minute doubt that clouding can happen, just that it hasn't happened to me and frankly I've been less than careful about water.
I scare people when I show them my technique for getting a really deep finish with shellac because I bring out a water bottle and mist the freshly shellaced surface to tell if I've sanded properly. Yet I have never clouded anything I've done and I really can tell a differance between when I mist with water and when I mist with oil.. The area I mist with oil never developes that really deep finish while the area I mist with water (and then quickly wipe off, it's a mist, look, wipe, process) goes on to really shine.
As for a lightly damp cloth if you read the instructions that comes with a piece of new Stickley furniture that's what they recommend. Since I just paid $2300 (on sale 40% off) for a nightstand and $17,000 for the original bedroom set a decade ago (no dresser, one night stand) you'd better believe that I carefully read everything regarding care and maintinance.
As I said, I think that is all fine. You just said I said something that I didn't. I happen to know that shellac is a very fine finish. Just don't take after me like I'm an ignoramus.Gretchen
Gretchen,
OK now I understand what you menat when you said check your posts... Mea copa mea copa
Ok, so after more research, I'm thinking of a light BLO coat to all parts (cherry, walnut and maple) followed by shellac (amber to cherry, blond to maple and walnut) followed by a varnish topcoat.
Any opinions or comments are appreciated.
Jeff
You probably don't need the varnish topcoat.Gretchen
That's exactly why I don't worry about using shellac on furniture. I would have more concern for kitchen and bath cabinets, where sometimes zeal for cleanliness gets the better of sense--especially if there are outside cleaners.
cappadoc
I second shellac.. thin it out with denatured alcohol and it goes on easily.. run free and can be made to look incredibly deep. Three thin fast coats.. sand in between with 220.
It's safe as can be (every pill you take is coated with shellac) You already drink alcohol and the denatured part is just so kids don't get a cheap drunk.. (don't drink it and you'll be fine)..
Shellac is hard, much harder than varnishes and can be repaired insanely easily. Rub any scratch with denatured alcohol and scratch-be-gone! Compare that to any other finish..
I'd probably go with either shellac or sanded-in Liberon finishing oil; properly applied, both will be beautiful and repairable, though a sanded-in oil finish will definitely be more labor-intensive.
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
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