Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Jun 07, 2002 07:47pm | #1

   Hi Erik, Greetings from Bainbridge Island!

   I'm not expert, but have been doing a bit of reading recently on different oil-based finishes.  I'd be wary of using a poly-mix if you want a traditional finish that's easy to care for and touch up  years down the road.  In my limited finishing tasks I've used poly, brushed-on Danish Oil and my own recipe for "wiping varnish".  A rubbed oil finish will give you (IMHO) a more traditional look, ease of care down the road, easy application and correction of mistakes, and you can stop at whatever level of lustre you want.  The following article has captured my interest as I've been reading up on the process:

   http://www.wwforum.com/faqs_articles/oil_finishes.pdf

   If you don't have Adobe Acrobat reader you can get it (free) at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

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

2. 
   RickW | Jun 09, 2002 11:54pm | #2

   I'm not a finishing guru, and I'm new to this forum, but I've used the Sealacell finishes on a wide range of projects over the past 18 years or so.I've used it on many pieces of furniture, including an 8 foot by 12 foot white oak and walnut breakfront bookcase.

   IMO, the Sealacel finish is one of the best and easiest of the hand -applied finishes.It's durable,and it looks paticularily good on cherry or walnut.

   It's a two-step finish. You apply the Sealacell first and let it dry, similar to Watco. Then you apply either the Royal Finish or the Arm-R- Seal over it, depending on if you want a gloss or satin finish.

   The Royal Finish says it's a satin finish, but it is really pretty glossy. The Arm-R-seal is the satin finish.

   If you decide to try it, I think you'll be please by the outcome. If you have any more questions about it, I'll try to answer them.

   Good luck with your project!

1. 
   user-131649 | Jun 10, 2002 05:27pm | #3

   Hi - thanks for the info!  I have one coat of SEALACELL on now, and I'm very pleased with how it looks.  I think when that first coat of oil is rubbed on, is one of the most satisfying parts of the process.  I started dry-sanding it this morning with 400 grit, in preparation for a second coat this evening.  Have you ever put a second coat of SEALACELL on?  I was planning to do two or three (or maybe more) with it, as that's what I have, and not using a second finish.  Do you strongly recommend Arm-R-Seal and not a second coat of SEALACELL??  Thanks again, Erik

   Forrrest-Grrrl; thanks for your input too!

1. 
   RockyRothrock | Jun 10, 2002 06:08pm | #4

   I have used sealacell/arm-r-seal combination on several pieces and have been very pleased with te results. I just applied the sealacell in one or two coats, depending on how deep I wanted the color to be-usually no more that two, followed by the arm-r-seal. The # of applications of the arm-r-seal depended on the project, but a light sanding in between and rubbbing out with steel wool gave me the results I wanted. I personally like to keep the finishing process as painless as possible, and this seems to fit the bill reasonably well.

   Have fun-Rocky

2. 
   RickW | Jun 11, 2002 04:06am | #5

   Erik,

   I haven't used just the Sealacell by itself.I think that that would give a finish similar to Watco. If you use the Royal finish or the Arm-R-seal, you get a finish that builds on the surface, like a varnish. ( The whole finish is actually a wipe-on varnish) The topcoats, the Royal Finish or Arm-R-Seal, add much more depth than the Sealacell by itself.

   The last cherry piece I finished, I used one coat of Sealacell, rubbed out with OOOO steel wool, followed by three coats of Royal Finish, rubbing out every coat but the last with the steel wool.

   BTW, I changed my nickname.I'm the same guy"73072" that replied before.I misunderstood the instructions when I registered, and put the wrong thing in the "nickname" space.I'm pretty new at this.