Thread: What's your finish(es) of choice?

Im quite new to this but for what its worth,

Shellac, the Golden shellac flakes at Bunnings turn everything a bit too yellow for my liking, Ill probably need to get some blonde flakes from Ubeaut, that being said mixed to a 4lb cut (approx 25gms flakes to 100ml metho) and then thinned 1 in 4 parts as a sanding sealer with Metho works well, and 3 in 4 parts for a finish, and the thinned down sanding sealer version mixed 50/50 with boiled linseed oil for a polish.

EEE ultra shine is my goto friction polish

And I probably have watched far too much Phil Anderson on youtube but Howard Feed and wax (orange oil, carnauba wax and beeswax) is a simple finish that I have been using most recently, wipe on, wait half an hour, buff off, job done.

Garry

It depends on what finish I'm after, but I mainly use one of three finishes:

EEE & Shellawax for a quick, easy and durable finish.
Danish Oil for jobs where I can take the time and want a satin finish.
Blond shellac for jobs where I can take the time and want a gloss.

Actually, EEE is part of my sanding routine for nearly ever turning! There are times I'll use DO for a gloss or spray on an NC finish, but they're less common.

I have a milk crate full of other wipe-on pastes & finishes that I've bought and tried over the years... mainly 'traditional' mixes as I dislike harsh 'modern' chemicals, but I expect that that milk crate will be part of my estate when I pass, as nothing in it is really any better than the three mentioned above.

I know what I’m about to tell you goes against conventional wisdom but here goes. After much experimentation I have simplified my finishing to one technique for virtually everything I turn. I finish on the lathe using a three step process after sanding to 400-600 grit.

Step 1: Apply a DIY grit paste consisting of 4 parts mineral oil, 1 part bee’s wax and 1 part diatomaceous earth melted bain-maree and stirred as it cools so the de doesn’t come out of suspension. I apply on the lathe and polish off with paper towel at relatively high speed like a friction polish. Not only does this provide a finer finish but it also acts as a light “filler”.

Step 2: Apply bee’s wax on the lathe and again polish off at relatively high speed with paper towel. Again, similar to a friction polish technique. The wax will melt at high speed and provide an even finer finish.

Step 3: Again on the lathe apply a final polish paste consisting of 5 parts orange oil and 2 parts bee’s wax melted bain-maree. Apply and polish off with paper towel at relatively high speed to get an even sheen.

I have found the advantages of this technique are that it is quick and easy being applied and finished on the lathe. The pastes are easy to “cook” and relatively inexpensive as they seem to go a long way as I use them fairly sparingly. The finish is food-safe providing you use food-grade diatomaceous earth and orange oil and use only pure bee’s wax from Aussie sources (I believe that some of the imported wax may potentially have some additives).
The finish is not super gloss but produces a pleasing sheen which suits most of the work I do. I have attached a couple of pics as examples.
Bowl Finish.jpgSean's Bowl 3.jpg

Shellawax cream is great for smaller items, for bowls I tend to use Danish oil.

I have been turning since 1961. The first 10 years hobby, after that I started to sell, a little. Finishes??? I have spent a small fortune looking for a good durable fast and easy finish. I have bought every brand of finish that I have run across, I have made "magical" concoctions out of stuff that sounded good. I have bought dozens of books about finishes, read more in the library and magazines.

My favorite finish, it changes faster than I wake up in the morning. One wood needs this, another needs that one, another project needs something else. I have them all, if I don't I go buy what I want to use today.

Occasionally I use straight mineral oil (a few coats) on a bowl that I know will be eaten out of.

Otherwise, I use my own beeswax+.... brew.

• Beeswax
• Gum turpentine
• Carnauba wax
• Rottenstone (tripoli)

The gum turpentine keeps the beeswax and carnauba in paste form until applied. The gum turpentine is volatile and quickly vaporizes off to allow the waxes to harden. As pleasant as the fumes off the gum turpentine are, avoid breathing too much of it. I know from many years of exposure that it is not so friendly to your central nervous system, as experienced by many oil painting artists. A simple masks helps.

Turpentine - Wikipedia

When dry, the carnauba wax has a higher melting point (82-86°C) than the beeswax and that helps resist finger marks on the finish. Carnauba is food safe and is commonly used as a coating on tablets and confectionery.

The rottenstone is a fine abrasive, like in EEE. I don't apply it as a separate process and have found no disadvantage in leaving any of it that remains in the finish, that is, any of it that has not become more deeply embedded within the wood grain.

The mix goes on readily as a paste, but quickly starts to dry out and then it become a friction polish, at which point speed and pressure are quickly needed to achieve a satisfactory finish. The rottenstone ingredient helps to both cut and polish in the last few seconds of this process.

I sand and polish the outside of a bowl then immediately reverse and recess chuck it to turn, sand and polish the inside at which point the bowl is finished. The entire polishing process only takes seconds on small to medium sized pieces. I work in sections on larger (12"+) pieces.

I use old linen (as in flax based cloth) to apply the paste and to work the rottenstone into the surface. It is more durable with the abrasive than other clothes I have tried. I use old well washed cotton cloth to remove any excess paste and to bring the surface to an even finish.

The cloths will be flammable after use. Possibly even self combustible, like other solvent based brews. I keep the linen cloth in the brew pot with a tight fitting lid so the carnauba ingredient never dries out hard on it. I air and store the cotton polishing cloths to minimise the risk of self combustion.

The advantage of this brew/method is that it is quick.

The main disadvantage is that the finish is susceptible to water marking.

I have used very few other types of finishes/methods, so can't comment on how it compares.

I did try Kunos oil from Livos as a food safe and water resistant finish and that was good for that purpose, but it was expensive and also more time consuming in its application. It also had a limited shelf life that became an issue for me with occasional use.

Originally Posted by dogcatcher

My favorite finish, it changes faster than I wake up in the morning. One wood needs this, another needs that one, another project needs something else. I have them all, if I don't I go buy what I want to use today.

That's the way I think too but I have a few tried and true methods I use for certain applications.

One example is tool handles where I don't care about the look as much as the feel. Start with several coats of wiped on BLO letting it soak in for a a few hours in between coats. Then using the same cloth, dabs of BLO and 2 drops of liquid shellac added to the cloth and wipe that on. Let dry and rub with clean cloth. Then same again but with 4 drops of shellac, Then maybe go to 6 drops - about now the feel will be really nice for a tool handle.

Otherwise I range across, EEE, plain paste wax, wipe on poly, various oils and and waxes.

Will these be kitchen goods?
I use an oven-baked olive oil finish.
No, it does not and cannot go rancid (a myth)
No, you can't wash it off.
No, boiling liquids cannot disturb it.

A bowl ( with a risk of cracking) will be finished for a lifetime in about 5 minutes.
I carved 70 spoons and 30 forks for kitchen prep. They were finished in 3 minutes 30 seconds each.
It's a satin appearance with a soft feel. Stir boiling pasta. You can do no harm in 5+ years.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Will these be kitchen goods?
I use an oven-baked olive oil finish.
No, it does not and cannot go rancid (a myth)
No, you can't wash it off.
No, boiling liquids cannot disturb it.

A bowl ( with a risk of cracking) will be finished for a lifetime in about 5 minutes.
I carved 70 spoons and 30 forks for kitchen prep. They were finished in 3 minutes 30 seconds each.
It's a satin appearance with a soft feel. Stir boiling pasta. You can do no harm in 5+ years.

Interesting, RV.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

Will these be kitchen goods?
I use an oven-baked olive oil finish.
No, it does not and cannot go rancid (a myth)
No, you can't wash it off.
No, boiling liquids cannot disturb it.

A bowl ( with a risk of cracking) will be finished for a lifetime in about 5 minutes.
I carved 70 spoons and 30 forks for kitchen prep. They were finished in 3 minutes 30 seconds each.
It's a satin appearance with a soft feel. Stir boiling pasta. You can do no harm in 5+ years.

Would you please share your method?
Rgds,
Crocy.

Originally Posted by Old Croc

Would you please share your method?
Rgds,
Crocy.

yes keen to know here too please

Originally Posted by Old Croc

Would you please share your method?
Rgds,
Crocy.

Originally Posted by brainstrust

yes keen to know here too please

Kitchen Tool Project

Thanks DJ.

Has anyone tried RV's method?

How did it go on our hardwoods?

Any photos?

Interesting method, somewhat similar to how I prepare the blade guides for the BS sawmill.
The guides are ~75 x 50 x 50 blocks of Ironbark or Wandoo ie very hard wood.
BTW these guides are not like standard guides as they are used to position the blade parallel to the mill frame hence are under significant pressure.
This means the 50mm wide blade rubs hard on the blocks which are water lubricated while cutting, and re-oiled at the end of the cutting session.

Anyway this is what I do;
Heat a bath of mineral oil to ~150ºC.
Drop fully dried wood bocks into hot oil - leave for 10 minutes.
Wood foams, a bit like slow cooking chips - if its not dry it will foam a lot more.
Remove wood and leave on some kind of heatproof tray as wood oozes oil for days thereafter.

They do wear where the blade makes contact.
Depending on use the blocks last for many months to about a year before needing to be replaced.