Replies

1. 
   YesMaam27577 | Oct 30, 2003 04:56am | #1

   Perhaps someone like Jeff Jewitt might have a suggestion -- check his books. But I don't. Best I can tell, if you want the depth of an oil finish, then ya gotta rub that oil till it glows.

   I've heard others extolling the virtues of various poly's and laquers -- but I've never seen anything that looked like oil, except oil itself.

   Vast projects should not be founded on half vast ideas.
2. 
   BobSmalser | Oct 30, 2003 05:28pm | #2

   "Can anyone give me a product that I can spray that will give me the depth of hand rubbed linseed oil and beeswax or of hand rubbed varnish oil? "

   No.

   But you can come reasonably close if you powerbuff your raw wood with an 8" loose muslin wheel and tripoli followed by white rouge.  Clean with min spirits.  Then apply a good alkyd varnish like Behlen's Bartop finish after an oil or aniline stain/fill....warmer look and feel than poly's or lacquers.

3. 
   VeniciaL | Oct 30, 2003 08:56pm | #3

   Aaron,

   You can achieve the "close-to-the-wood" finish of an oil/varnish by using lacquer in several thin coats (less total thickness than usually used for lacquer finishing) then gently rubbing with 4-0 steel wool or a nylon abrasive pad. The total effort is much less than that required by the many applications needed to build the varnish layer of an oil/varnish method. The result is a finish more durable than the very thin varnish film that oil/varnish gives.

   However, you must first experiment with dye (I'd recommend aniline dyes) to get the color development that the oil of your favorite oil/varnish gives. And you must acquire and become proficient with some flavor of spray equipment (either standard or a low pressure type) and have the facilities in which to use it. That is no small achievement. It is well worth it if you have a lot of work to do or are going to continue to use the spray method. This is one of those realms in which you really get what you pay for. Cheap equipment just leads to frustration. Once you master the method, spraying lacquer is a marvelous way to finish wood.

   If your project is large enough, I'd use lacquer. Be prepared for the learning curve.

   But for small projects or occasional use, it is very hard to beat the ease of an oil/varnish. If you are already experienced with it, you have a decided advantage with that method. And with enough coats, applied correctly, it can result in a beautiful sheen and a film durable enough for most furniture uses short of the level of busy-dining-room-table-top abuse. (And even at that level, a once a year renewal of the finish is easy enough to do)

   VL