Just wanted to share my experience with this finish and get any advice you might offer. I had problems applying this on a newly made cherry coffee table top. The instructions say not to to thin it but it is so thick out of the can that runs, drips and puddles are unavoidable, leading to a several rounds of sanding and recoating. The finish clogs the sandpaper very quickly making sanding frustrating. I eventually got acceptable results by thinning 50-50 with mineral spirits or naphtha and applying with a chinese bristle brush. After drying I used 0000 steel wool and applied a coat of wax to get a smooth finish. Telephone technical support was not very helpful. This type of barrier finish is more protective but less natural looking and less beautiful than a penetrating finish on cherry. I will stick to danish oil in the future. Thoughts?
Replies
It looks nice. Can't argue with results. And there is no problem with thinning. Lots of finishes come thinned from the manufacturer. They call them "rubbing varnish" and similar names.
You could write a book about misadvice on finish labels.
Don't worry about thinning and manipulating finishes, I do it all the time. Today I bought SW's oil based varnish (hate PU) and all they had was satin. I typically mix my lacquers half Satin, half semigloss to get the look I want. Today I had only gloss varnish, so I went 25% gloss and it worked fine. My point is that you should not be afraid to play with finishes.
“[Deleted]”
There are a million and one reasons why finishes don't always work as you want them to. On the other hand, everyone thinks they're a chemist because they can thin a finish. I tend to land somewhere between the two extremes. you should always test a finish on a similar scrap piece before committing to you project. Always check the date codes on finish cans. Some of these things can sit on the shelf for far to long before being purchased and they have already started to degrade. Shop conditions like humidity and temperature are also big contributing factors.If you don't like the top-coat look, a Danish oil or other drying oil blend is probably best, it can always be coated over if more sheen is desired.
Hey,
Unless otherwise unavoidable (like a customer's request) I work only with oils. They leave wood with a soft feel, especially if the finish is wet-sanded.
One of my favorites is a tung/linseed oil mixture, a close 2nd behind Watco Danish oil or Tried & True varnish oil.
Before wet-sanding, sand the project with 220 grit sandpaper to break any glaze on the wood. Then apply a base coat of oil, wiping it on in a circular motion. Once the surface is coated, wipe off the excess and leave the project to cure. 3-4 hours is usually good at approx 70 degrees.
Wet-sanding is done with 800 & 1200 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Sanding in a circular motion, keep the wood wet so the sandpaper can do its job. Once that coat is done, usually when the sandpaper starts to grab, wipe off the excess.
You don't have to wait between the 2nd & 3rd coats. Go directly to the 1200. Sand the surface with the grain, again until the paper starts to grab. Wipe off the excess and set the project aside to cure. May take up to 24 hours.
The end result is a soft feel and a low shine. More sanding won't increase the shine. I'm not a proponent of adding a film finish to oil but it can be done.
Good luck,
Hope I helped,
Mikaol
>You could write a book about misadvice on finish labels.
I think Bob Flexner has already done books and articles on this.
It was always my theory they say not to thin so that the product is still VOC compliant. Thin away.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled