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rsser
28th February 2013, 07:41 PM
What would be your top 3 or 4 criteria for making a choice?

Don't need to hear about products.

I'm asking cos I'm doing a piece for publication.

Thanks in advance.

nz_carver
28th February 2013, 08:05 PM
1.Ease of use
2.The end result
3. Australian made
4.bang for you back i,e price and size.

KBs PensNmore
28th February 2013, 08:08 PM
What would be your top 3 or 4 criteria for making a choice?

Don't need to hear about products.

I'm asking cos I'm doing a piece for publication.

Thanks in advance.

Ease of applying finish, type of finish (matt, gloss etc), wear ability (depending on surface, pens etc), cleanup ease.
Sounds like it will be an interesting article.:2tsup:
Kryn

Drillit
28th February 2013, 08:21 PM
Hello Ern,
Are you talking about the choice of finish for turned work only, or more widely? Thanks, Drillit.

Scott
28th February 2013, 08:57 PM
Initially, depends upon what timber your using. Some timbers take oil better than polish and vice versa. Secondly the product would have to have a proven track record. And lastly, ease of use.

_fly_
28th February 2013, 09:02 PM
I just went thru the procedure of testing 6 different finishes that I had on hand on a piece of scrap.
I have no idea what I paid for any of them but I want the one that is going to look the best on the timber I'm using.
How it will look comes before the sheen of the finish, don't mind if its satin or gloss or in-between.

About the only thing that I would then consider before that is if its food safe in those situations.

How the finish 'feels' to me is also important. I know WOP is easy to use but it always feels "plastic coated" to me.

Master Splinter
28th February 2013, 09:42 PM
It should smell nice to use, and it should re-coat easily.

I don't want to flee the shed because I think I'm under attack from some vesicant war gas, and I don't want to sand back to bare timber when it looks scruffy.

rsser
1st March 2013, 08:13 AM
Drillit, finishes for turners - both dedicated and adaptable.

bench1holio
1st March 2013, 08:56 AM
consistant finishing results and ease of application.

brendan stemp
1st March 2013, 01:14 PM
1 Ease of use
2 Time it takes to get desired finish
3 Ultimate hardness/durablity
4 Choice of gloss level

Others: Cleaning up, safety/health factors, Repairability

RETIRED
1st March 2013, 02:48 PM
+ to Brendans list: Drying time.

dr4g0nfly
2nd March 2013, 07:33 AM
Desired end use (is the piece ornamentation or practical, will it be used for food)
Easy of, or method of, application
Durability (it may not be me that needs to care for it!)

jimbur
2nd March 2013, 11:02 AM
Simplicity of use and preparation,
Can be recoated,
Quick drying,
Cheapness.

hughie
2nd March 2013, 01:16 PM
Ern, for me, ease of use to start with, meets decided finish requirements, speed of application and drying time as I dont want to spend many hours applying the finish or what a week for the damn thing to dry. Cost comes in last.

rsser
2nd March 2013, 01:49 PM
Thanks all.

There's happily a good deal of consistency there and a close match with what I'd chosen.

jgilfor
5th March 2013, 03:52 AM
I've tried every finish out there I think. I'm obsessed with friction finishes though. Il sorta like Shellawax, but find it too easy to end up with swirl marks on larger projects, and don't think it hold up as well as id like. Also find it cost prohibitive for using daily.

I've done quite a bit of experimentation and came up with a personal solution. I love shellac, but want it to be alcohol resistant. I like tung oil, because it doesn't change the wood color like BLO does. I also like carnauba or microcrystalline wax as a protective top coat. What I came up with is this:

1 part tung oil (pure)
2 parts DNA
2 parts hard shellac (either purchased from a luthier supply house or buy the additive and make your own). There are only two places in the world that sell this. Alternatively, you can chemically alter your own shellac if you are an organic chemist. This stuff cross links over a week or two and becomes impervious to handling and alcohol.
Small amount of carnauba wax (one or two tea spoons, depending upon total volume; one teaspoon spoon for a pint, two for a quart or more). I use Mothers or Mcgruires car wax. Obviously, it is not pure carnauba, but it is softened and has no silicon. Mixes easier.

this has been working phenomenally for me. Shake well. Apply at highest safe speed using high quality paper towel. Fold towel, dampen end with small amount of mixture and apply to the piece, using moderate pressure to generate heat (should get quite hot). As mixture lays down a shiny coating, ease up a bit on the pressure and move paper towel back and forth over the area. Apply two or three more coats using the same portion of the paper towel, and only a few drops each coat, and with medium pressure. The drag, caused by the built up finish on the paper towel will provide moremthan enough friction to flow the finish. You should do large pieces a section at a time, making sure to overlap sections.

after done, put a light coat of microcrystalline or finishing wax on to protect the piece while cross linking occurs. Handling is fine during this period, but do not use the piece in a utility fashion until the cross link period has elapsed. Generally, one or two weeks is sufficient. After cross linking occurs, you can use the piece as designed. It will be water and chemical resistant. Oh, it also will be food safe. No hazardous chemicals remain in the finish.

Mobyturns
5th March 2013, 07:17 AM
1 Ease of use
2 Time it takes to get desired finish
3 Ultimate hardness/durablity
4 Choice of gloss level

Others: Cleaning up, safety/health factors, Repairability


+ to Brendans list: Drying time.

I would add Purpose to the list.

No point having a great finish on a utility piece that is easily marked, or vice versa, a poor finish which is hard to maintain on a heirloom show piece.

rsser
8th April 2013, 07:12 PM
Is anyone here regularly wet-sanding (burnishing) with an 'oil' finish in order to fill the grain/pores ?

Does anyone here think that plakky dip-in or pour-on finishes are an essential part of the turner's finishing kit?

efgee88
8th April 2013, 08:42 PM
What is important for me:
1. Bring out the grain and colour of the timber without excessive gloss interference
2. Tactile - "Silky" feel when handling.

I seal timber, wet/dry sand 1200grit , then layers of danish oil (24hrs drying minimum between coats, dry sanding 1200grit between coats), then finish with carnauba wax & buff. Works well for me on most pieces but is time consuming. Wax seems to add depth - don't know why....

Cheers,

FrankG

brendan stemp
8th April 2013, 08:46 PM
Is anyone here regularly wet-sanding (burnishing) with an 'oil' finish in order to fill the grain/pores ?

Does anyone here think that plakky dip-in or pour-on finishes are an essential part of the turner's finishing kit?

I regularly wet sand with a 2 pack poly and lubricate it with linseed oil, specifically in the bore of the recorders. I have in the past wet sanded with danish oil and it is an excellent way to fill the pores and build the finish.

Skew ChiDAMN!!
8th April 2013, 08:54 PM
Is anyone here regularly wet-sanding (burnishing) with an 'oil' finish in order to fill the grain/pores ?

That would be me. :) And I would think anyone who considers DO to be a 'primary' choice of finish.


Does anyone here think that plakky dip-in or pour-on finishes are an essential part of the turner's finishing kit?

Essential? No. No more than I consider other easy finishes as essential. eg. Shellawax.

Don't get me wrong; I love Shellawax and consider it the "King of the easy finishes." It's very, very convenient, however I don't think it essential.

:think:

With such a wide choice of finishes out there, I guess that to my mind the only "essential" part of a turner's finishing kit is a range of good sandpaper! (Am I being overly pedantic? :rolleyes:)

Mobyturns
8th April 2013, 09:43 PM
Is anyone here regularly wet-sanding (burnishing) with an 'oil' finish in order to fill the grain/pores ?

Does anyone here think that plakky dip-in or pour-on finishes are an essential part of the turner's finishing kit?

I very much like the wet sanding finishes with DO type products, particularly with Organoil Hard Burnishing Oil.

hughie
9th April 2013, 01:04 AM
Lately I 'm turning some real hard timber so filling pores etc hasn't really come up. But wet sanding is not something I do often. So, much of the need to do so is down to the timber being turned and I tend to shy away from species that require it.

rsser
12th August 2013, 05:19 PM
Thanks all for sharing your experiences.

The next issue of Australian Wood Review will include a review I did of finishes. 18 in all.

I had to limit the variables to make comparative testing work and not confine me to the shed for weeks.

'fraid AWR owns the intellectual property so I can't share the somewhat surprising results here.

Your experience may not match mine in which case can I invite you to replicate my test procedure before you go public.

So this is a shameless promo not of my work but of the high production values of AWR and the commitment of Linda Nathan and her colleagues at AWR to this independent review.

Also thanks to the makers and distributors of finishes, dedicated or adaptable, that contributed samples for the review. They were generous in their donations and in answering questions. I didn't find a bad product among the collection and would be happy to have them remaining on my shelf, but will never use them all up and apart from a few that I'll keep the rest will be donated to my turning club.