Suitable Sealer - Oil for Plywood Sandboard

I have two sandboards made out of plywood as pictured to seal. The guy who made them said use tung oil not a single or 2 pack varnish.

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whilst i will not sanboard in the rain.. water will end up being spilt on the boards etc.

Feast Watson 1L Tung Oil - Bunnings Australia
Gilly'''s 250ml 100% Pure Tung Oil - Bunnings Australia
Intergrain 4L Natural Exterior Nature'''s Timber Oil - Bunnings Australia

?? they said don't bother with expensive stuff like this, which i saw in their shop

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For your interest, he made up a mold based on a pre existing board (the one already varnished in the above photo) as per the below

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did anyone else receive a PM about this?

Hi Havabeer69 do you have any ideas here?

What is a sandboard?

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Originally Posted by russ57

What is a sandboard?

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Hi a plywood board with upturned edges that has a laminate bottom. You put wax on the bottom to speed up the board going down the sand.

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Good morning Dale,

I'm not sure why you sent me a PM on this - unless you have mistaken me for another person. I do not claim expertise in finishes. Although he is no doubt busy in the silly season run-up to Christmas, a knowledgeable finishing expert like Neil, the forums owner, would be best placed to answer your question.

My take on the answer would depend on how much abrasion resistance you need from the finish. The one and two pack poly finishes are certainly tougher, but also require a lot of work to strip off when you need to refinish - something I suspect will be a frequent need. An oil finish has the advantage that it is simple to replenish/refinish - just put more oil on top. At least that's how it works with my oil of choice, Deks Olje #1 and #2. They are for marine use.

The advice to go cheap doesn't sit well with me if you are keeping these items and want good wear. What little experience I have with paints and oils is that the cheaper they are the less high-quality are their ingredients. There's no such thing as a free lunch with most things, finishes included.

The marine oils I use are expensive - get them from ships chandlers like Whitworths. The #1 is very runny - like water. You put it on wet-on-wet until the timber is saturated with it. Wait three days, then use the #2 oil which is viscous and gives you a gloss finish. You can sprinkle fine sand into it if you need more grip, or just stop at the #1 oil which gives a matt finish. I've never used it for a sand board but it is a high quality long-lasting finish. I have no financial or other connection with the maker or shops.

I haven't used it but I have read many glowing reports for pure Tung oil - not the things that advertise as Tung oil finish but have little or none of the Tung oil in them.

I hope that this helps. With all the oil finishes you need to wait quite awhile to let it set before you use it - so won't be any good for Christmas Day! Only a poly finish might be ready for then.

David

PS as with many paints only apply them in a well ventilated area, preferable outside with a fan on you. The solvent in DO #1 is particularly nasty - probably true for all the other finishes too.

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Originally Posted by Xanthorrhoeas

PS as with many paints only apply them in a well ventilated area, preferable outside with a fan on you. The solvent in DO #1 is particularly nasty - probably true for all the other finishes too.

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Thanks Xanthorrhoeas, i thought you and a couple of others looked knowledgeable within the Finishing sub section of the forum, so thought I would ask.

thanks for the advice, Whitworths did concur with your product but also advised (just for interests sake) the

International Everdure Primer and Sealer

International Everdure Primer and Sealer, $52.95 | Whitworths Marine

2 pack product as well.

I suppose its one or the other and I note your words

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" The one and two pack poly finishes are certainly tougher, but also require a lot of work to strip off when you need to refinish - something I suspect will be a frequent need."

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I think I prefer the Deks Olje No1, dont need No 2 Gloss.

https://owatrol-international.com/me...ks_olje_d1.pdf

Do you concur with these application instructions

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DO NOT THIN. USE AS IS. The secret of DEKS OLJE® D.1’s success lies in its saturation of the wood to bring about an even
”matt sheen” finish when dry.
Start by applying DEKS OLJE® D.1 to an area that can be treated in about 15 minutes.
As soon as the 1st application has penetrated (normally 15-30 minutes), apply a 2nd application.
Continue applying DEKS OLJE® D.1 “wet on wet” until a uniform, overall saturation of the wood is achieved. The number of
applications needed depends on the wood.
DO NOT allow DEKS OLJE® D.1 to become dry or touch dry between applications.
Leave final application 30 minutes, then wipe over the surface to remove excess and puddled material with a rag soaked in
DEKSOLJE®D.1 and rung out so that it is damp to the touch. If necessary occasionally ring out the cloth to keep it damp.
It is important that as much DEKS OLJE® D.1 as possible is applied on the first day.
DEKS OLJE® D.1 must be kept “active”, this is done by the “wet on wet” applications and the continual brushing over of the
area, which assists and helps achieve maximum penetration.
DEKS OLJE® D.1 has high penetration; its place is in the wood and not as a surface coating.
Allow 3 days for DEKS OLJE® D.1 to set-up and dry, before putting the boat in service or continuing with DEKS OLJE® D.2*.
Temperature is of very little importance when applying DEKS OLJE® D.1

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How many did you pm about?

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Originally Posted by havabeer69

How many did you pm about?

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Hi, i think about 3 blokes, including you that looked knowledgeable and had posted in the finishing sub forum? why is that? is it a bad thing?

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about 5 coats.

I noticed today about 16 hours later that a few sections feel drier then others and some raised grain patches. I assume its okay to knock those off with say 320 grit and in general pile some more coats on.
Though Ill wait the full 3 days prior to doing that as advised above.

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Originally Posted by DaleBlack

Do you concur with these application instructions

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Good afternoon Dale, Yes, I agree with those instructions. The first time you use the oil it's very important to saturate the timber as much as you can. Some timbers do not saturate very easily so need persistence. My experience is that as long as the #1 oil is still tacky it seems to readily accept more of the oil. I have had that happen when working at night and running out of energy to continue - starting again next morning seems to work just as well as burning the midnight oil. Because the fumes can get to you it can also become important to take a break from the process.

Even when an item is dry more #1 still seems to do some good. The evidence for that is in the manufacturer's own instructions for replenishing even a #2 finished item with more of the #1 oil.

David

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Originally Posted by Xanthorrhoeas

Good afternoon Dale, Yes, I agree with those instructions. The first time you use the oil it's very important to saturate the timber as much as you can. Some timbers do not saturate very easily so need persistence. My experience is that as long as the #1 oil is still tacky it seems to readily accept more of the oil. I have had that happen when working at night and running out of energy to continue - starting again next morning seems to work just as well as burning the midnight oil. Because the fumes can get to you it can also become important to take a break from the process.

Even when an item is dry more #1 still seems to do some good. The evidence for that is in the manufacturer's own instructions for replenishing even a #2 finished item with more of the #1 oil.

David

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thanks for your reply, I put about 5-6 coats on I think and yes the fumes are bad, must be an indicator of how good it is. did you see my question about about very light sand to take the raised grain off a little/

Good afternoon Dale, it's raining here in Brisbane so have found time on the computer. Yes, I believe it best to wait the three days before sanding off the raised grain. Otherwise you will pull the soft oil into nasty lumps. If the sanding exposes any bare wood just re-coat with the #1 oil.

I see that ubeaut (a real expert with finishes) has just replied to another thread about finishing a red gum table and he recommended Organ Oil, which I have no experience with. I only mention this because it might be worth a try if you make any more sandboards - the self-healing property sounds interesting. On the other hand Neil's advice may be specific to red gum?

One advantage of the Desk Olje is that, once you have saturated the timber the oil remains inside it even if you abrade the surface.

David