Replies

1. 
   gulfstar | May 18, 2022 09:28pm | #1

   Spanish cedar is neither Spanish nor cedar. It’s like mahogany and my go to exterior finish for mahogany is a reddish oil based gel stain followed by six coats of spar varnish.

2. 
   john_c2 | May 19, 2022 04:05am | #2

   Linseed oil will not hold up. The best finish will be one containing UV blockers. Spar varnish, as Gulfstar said, is your best bet. But don't get it at the home center. Buy the best spar varnish you can at a marine supply store.

3. 
   pantalones868 | May 19, 2022 09:28pm | #3

   I would use Epiphanes or Tonkinois . I like Epiphanes because I thin it -start at 15 o/o and build from there. 10 coats. I like Tonkinois because I don't thin ,it builds faster and done at 6 coats. That's one coat per day. 220 sand between each coat. Varnish is a big job. It's why a guitar maker will add a few thousand dollars onto the varnish version of two otherwise identical guitars. It's worth the effort however.

4. 
   pantalones868 | May 20, 2022 01:36am | #4

   By the way linseed oil will not only not hold up as an exterior finish it will tend to darken or even go black. An old hillbilly formula wa linseed oil and kerosene. It worked but it went jet black.. If I was going to a oil finish I would use a commercially manufactured product designed for exterior wood finishing. TWP makes a good clear oil finish + colored versions. Penofin, and Cabot are good exterior oils I've used. The more pigment( semi transparent stain) in any of these products the more uv protection you will get.