Best finish for hand-plane handles in sweaty, hot tropics?

[IanW]

..... I just wish it wasn't so expensive...

Colin, by the time it gets to SA and goes through all the various people who need their cut, it is probably outrageously so, but take heart - a little goes an amazingly long way, and as I aid previously, it seems to have a very healthy bottle life, thre was no discernible deterioration in my first bottle after 2 years. But if you end up taking to the stuff as enthusiastically as I have, you better set up an import business of your own....

Cheers,

[Colin62]

To be fair, it's mostly our weak exchange rate and poor economy. A tub of Shellawax cream from Ubeaut is R250, excl shipping, tax and duties on this side. From Lee Valley, it's R350, and from MrWoodturner in South Africa, R450. I'm sure Lee Valley are selling a lot more than our local guys, and I'm also sure that if I were to try to import it directly from Ubeaut it would cost more (especially once you've added tax and duty to the shipping). And it'll be here next week if I order locally. And it's payday today. So I think I'll give it a go.

[IanW]

...... A tub of Shellawax cream from Ubeaut is R250, excl shipping, tax and duties on this side. From Lee Valley, it's R350, and from MrWoodturner in South Africa, R450. .....

Yairs, it sort of jumps up a bit, doesn't it?

BTW, the liquid & the cream are quite different when it comes to the application we are talking about here (at least in my experience). The cream is fine when you are applying it to a spinning object on the lathe, & not too much different from the liquid, but I can't get as good a finish with it by applying to a static object & buffing. I find it very much more difficult to apply an even coating, & harder to buff to a blemish-free surface. Disclaimer: the last time I tried seriously, the cream was getting a bit ancient & had become quite thick, so it was not just difficult, but near impossible to get right. The liquid seems more idiot-proof in this idiot's hands.....

Cheers,

[Luke Maddux]

BTW, the liquid & the cream are quite different....

I can second pretty much everything Ian said there. I've tried both products in both applications and had a very similar experience.

[Colin62]

The main reason I used the cream for my example, is because Ubeaut don't offer the liquid for export, as it's more hazardous to ship, so a price for it wasn't on their website. I bit the bullet yesterday and ordered some. I've gone for the cream, because I want to use it for turning first, and anything else second. I'll probably give the liquid a try next.

Thanks for all the advice and information

[planemaker]

To achieve a high quality finish, a technique that fills the open pores within wood surface is required. As an example, this Queensland Maple backsaw handle has received its 6 coats of shellac, that still needs to be buffed to a higher shine.

Stewie;

[IanW]

To achieve a high quality finish, a technique that fills the open pores within wood surface is required. As an example, this Queensland Maple backsaw handle has received its 6 coats of shellac, that still needs to be buffed to a higher shine......

Stewie, I assume these were brushed coats with a reasonably heavy cut? Six 'coats' would be barely starting, if French-polishing...

I've polished plenty of Qld. Maple using a more conventional French polishing tecgnique, but haven't ever tried Shellawax on it, yet. Over the last 20 years or so, I've gone away from fillers, preferring to 'fill' with the shellac alone. Takes more work, perhaps, but I think the results are worth it, because I reckon I get a deeper & clearer finish. My desk was polished without any filler, and I think it looks far better than other Maple items I've polished using the conventional chalk-based fillers I was taught to use: Desk2.jpg

However, I should state that my 'quick & dirty' Shellawax method has produced rather underwhelming results on some woods, so like any finish, it's by no means a panacea, and as always, you need to choose your battles. In my hands, it works best with fine-grained woods that require little filling, as you'd expect, but it does have a much greater 'filling' effect than a straight shellac/alcohol mix - I would rarely rub in more that two coats before buffing. I have used it quite successfully on Camphor Laurel, for example, which is a moderately porous wood, but woods with an apparently similar grain have refused to take a decent shine. My suggestion for any unknown wood would be to try it and if it works, it works. If it doesn't, break out some fine steel wool & metho, scrub it off, & try something else...

Cheers,

[planemaker]

Hi Ian. The 6 coats were padded not brushed on. As mentioned previously the process I follow involves cutting the surface back after each coat of shellac. (150g, then 220g, then 400g) The last 3 coats only receive a light abrading with a finely graded mesh cloth. I have used this process with very good results on reasonably porous wood such as jarrah. I do not follow the traditional techniques outlined in french polishing as its of limited value to me on 3 dimensional saw handle shapes.

regards Stewie;

[Loco1960]

I've just finished making a new knob and tote from silky oak for a little Stanley No.4, but what finish to use?

It's a plane I will be using in hot tropical conditions, and that will make my hands sweat a lot as I work. Also, this will be the first and last time anyone will ever apply a finish to these handles.

In the shed I've got shellac flakes, beeswax, a tin of Organoil, and a tin of Estapol. I reached for the shellac, then wondered if that would be durable under the conditions the plane is going to.

Any opinions or experiences to guide me?

I find Cabinet Makers Wax (I believe it is a mix of Canuba and Bees wax) is good when you want a good finish, no stickiness and easy maintenance. I heat the handle gently with a hair dryer and apply a heavy wet coat, then reheat until it is absorbed into the pores. Repeat until it stops soaking in and buff excess off. I have used this on saw handles, bevels, levels etc with good results