I'm making birdhouses out of dried cottonwood logs and looking for a good finish. I don't like finishes that flake and peel in time but I want to take the time to use linseed oil. Would shellac work for an external finish?
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bird house finish
- Thread starter Bob Strand
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Oh, as to the avatar, I lost most of the use of my left eye due to 3 retinal detachments and this is the only pic I came up with for the avatar. I'm not really a pirate.
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Bob, I make and maintain a lot of bird houses (actually nest boxes) and I would suggest no finish. Many finishes can be bothersome to the young birds. Shellac I believe is not a good finish to be used on it's own outside unless of course your bird Houses are meant for inside decorations.
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I use cedar for my bluebird nesting boxes. No finish. Go natural. Cedar weathers very nicely. Lost track of how long the nesting boxes have been in service, but it's probably six years or longer. - John
sorry for your loss......like your laugh at it attitude......course I have implants
course guano makes hard coverings, I have seen piers with no wood showing
Just what I was looking for, no finish at all. Thank you.
I knew you weren't a pirate. You are from Montana. Pirates are from Pittsburgh. 😉
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You guys are having way too much fun.
Bill, life is too short to be serious all the time. One of the things I like about this forum is the way we can pick and tease a bit. This is due to the fine folks who are on the forum and the friendship cultivated here among wood turners.
To keep with the thread, I have three birdhouses that have no finish. One is cedar, the other two are plain wood of some type.
To keep with the thread, I have three birdhouses that have no finish. One is cedar, the other two are plain wood of some type.
I'm assuming you're discussing functional turned birdhouses for use by actual birds, rather than decorative ornamental birdhouses...
For ornamental decorative birdhouses from cottonwood, I think I like the color change that linseed oil would bring.
Shellac would make a nice glossy topcoat, if that's the effect you're looking for. If my memory serves me correctly, friction polishes are a mixture of "boiled" linseed oil, shellac, and alcohol.
For ornamental decorative birdhouses from cottonwood, I think I like the color change that linseed oil would bring.
Shellac would make a nice glossy topcoat, if that's the effect you're looking for. If my memory serves me correctly, friction polishes are a mixture of "boiled" linseed oil, shellac, and alcohol.
You may have lost some of your sight, but you still have a sense of humor about it. Lemonade from lemons is what it's all about.
What I wanna know is how you got that penguin to balance on your shoulder like that?
To go just a bit off topic--Bob, what's the ice situation?
My "parrot", thank you, is insulted. Penguin??? Pirates don't have penguins.
I haven't been out for several days and I, as I live right on the lake, I don't see any outfits out there. Last weekend they dropped 5 fourwheelers through around Duck Creek. With this cold snap it may have gotten solid but I'm not going out.
LOL, I was just kidding Bob. 😀
Although I'll bet that the pirates in very cold climates do opt for penguins over a parrots. 😉
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We had a brutal "cold snap" a couple days ago ... the temperature dropped into the 40's ... the Puddy Tat kitty is curling up next to the fireplace. 😀 The only ice around here is in a tea glass.
On a more serious side, I have accidentally unscrewed the jaws of my VicMarc 100 and I must be the village idiot, but I can't get them in true again. Any suggestions?
I guess I lied about the ice. I just looked out and there's a couple four wheelers and an ice shanty out there now.