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Favorite on the lathe applied finish.................

J

Jake Debski

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Apr 24, 2004
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do you have one? Do you use one? If so would you share it? I'm collecting info and/or ideas for a Chapter demo. At our show and tell meeting segments it seems nearly everyone has a different way of finishing. So I thought I would try and put together a program with as much finishing information as I can gather. I will try to concetrate the demo on pieces with the finish applied while still on the lathe but may include the off lathe finishes also.

Thank you in advance!
 
Yes, lacquer applied thinned 50/50 with thinner. I toss in a little "Flow Enhancer" by ML Campbell to make it flow and smooth a little better.

Precatalyzed lacquer is preferred (by me at least) but since I have access to it basically free, I don't need to buy a gallon of it since a gallon would expire (120 day shelf life) long before I could do anything with it.
 
I have two finishes that I rather like.... I haven't done really extensive experimenting with them, but they are nice and simple. The first one is mixing pine tar with gum turpentine until it has a consistency a little thicker than water -- very "liquidy" consistency. I usually put this one down first. You have to rub it in briskly, but it adds a reddish glow to lighter woods and better yet the smell is really good. The second mixture I like is gum turpentine mixed with linseed oil in a 50:50 mixture. This also smells good, finishes it up nicely, and gives the piece a satin sort of finish... I use these two mixtures and then usually finish up by buffing the piece to a light shine!!

Jonathon.C
 
Jonathon,

Where do you buy pine tar ? I don't recall ever seeing it anywhere but on the bark of a standing tree. 😕

Thanks
 
Jake... I have a little hardware store in the town that I live in and I asked them about it so they ordered some for me. It supposedly is an old way of treating woods... I just like the smell of working with it, but I don't know how long it (the smell) actually would last on a piece. http://www.auson.se/menu,233,205,page,205.html -- this is what pine tar is... for further information try you might google-it!!!

Hope this helps!
Jonathon.C
 
In a former life....

I used to ski cross country. In the beginning we used the old Army Surplus wooden skis. They had some very good wood in them, but you had to treat them with pine tar to keep them in good shape. After you melted the pine tar into the wood, you could then apply the kick wax and the glide wax...

Man, I miss the old skis, and the smell of the pine tar on a clear crisp winter morning...

Most skis are now plastic and fiberglass or some other high tech material (I haven't ski-ed (sp?) for over 20 years) and most skiers probably don't know what pine tar is...
 
Hi all,

A friend has actually been playing around with quick-curing regular Tung oil and eurythane oil. He applies it on the lathe, lets it soak for a few, then ups the speed and holds a rag to the piece until it heats up pretty good. The head accellerates the evaporation of solvents and speeds the catalysation of the oil. He's managed to do 3 coats fully dry and finished in under 24hrs. I'm playing with it myself to find out how well it works.

Dietrich
 
On or off the lathe I will sand to say 400 grit and then apply Deft Clear Wood finish. I use to use 50-50 cut now I use 75% lacquer for just a little bit more body. Afterwards it will be Waterlox or Tung Oil Finish. I reverse turn most of my bowl work and a complete finish on the outside will not work. I do prefer to finish on the lathe wherever possibile. GT
 
For my "show pieces" I have been using either a coat of Tung Oil or Danish Oil to add some depth and color, then when dry following with a 1 or 2 coats of Shellac, then buffed and waxed. The finish had a soft sheen to it, more than a satin finish but less than a high gloss. The finish has held up to repeated handling and looks pretty without having a plastic feel to it.

Keep in mind I have not done this for long and not had much opportunity to experiment yet. I am pleased with this approach so far though.
 
Does anyone use the Mylands friction polish on smaller stuff, like stoppers?

I like it so far, but limited use as of now................ Doesn't seem to be a high high gloss, but definitely shiny. Thought it would be a good eye-catcher, especially for laminted stoppers, altho' it also looks good on mahogany.

Thanks.

Rich
 
Jake,
I used to use urethane varnish on everything. Wipe on three coats of dilute to start filling the grain. Then start spray coats, five to ten, lightly wet sand with 600 between coats, clean and dry, spray next coat. Stop when the finish is perfect or you're sick of the project. Takes too long. Now I use mostly spray lacquer. Cover all lathe parts and surrounding area.
 
Pine Tar

Jonathon.C said:
Jake... I have a little hardware store in the town that I live in and I asked them about it so they ordered some for me. It supposedly is an old way of treating woods... I just like the smell of working with it, but I don't know how long it (the smell) actually would last on a piece. http://www.auson.se/menu,233,205,page,205.html -- this is what pine tar is... for further information try you might google-it!!!

Hope this helps!
Jonathon.C
Click to expand...

Look in boatyards that cater to wooden boats or preferable to wooden ships, it goes also by the name of Stockholm tar, in a completely different kind of place, look in feed and seed stores, they use to coat wounds in live stock.
I agree the smell of it takes to places.
Jorge C
 
Just my preference, but the "grainier" my project is the more I tend to use a wiped-on oil finish that soaks in like Danish oil. There's a place for a high-sheen finish, but personally I want to make bowls and objects that invite people to pick them up and which feel organic and woody, not plasticky. I've been working with birch lately, and the effect it has on the birch woodgrain is just phenomenal. It darkens the wood to a warm aged patina.

For a more durable finish I use several coats of thinned shellac, sometimes after Danish oil has been applied to "pop the grain".

As I'm early in the learning curve, at some point I may move up to other types of finishes, but this is what I've taken over from my non-turned work with furniture and the like.

For wooden pens I apply 1 coat of Woodturner's Finish and burnish it in on the lathe. For acrylic pens I wet-sand down to at least 2000 (I know a lot of people sand down to 12000 or so) and buff it out with Johnson's Paste Wax, which produces good results.
 
newbie

i ordered some lemon oil and am looking for some sunflower oil which i have not found in the local grocery stores, any advise on their use and ideas on where to find the sunflower oil?????????

any help will be appreiated thanks 😕 😕
 
Sunflower oil

I wouldn't use the sunflower oil. I know it can go rancid in my kitchen cabinet, so it can go rancid on a piece of wood. I suspect it probably doesn't "harden" the way that a tung or linseed oil would. The only "food" type oil I have used with good results is walnut oil.

Jeff
 
Favorite finish

On my small stuff I like sand to at least 400 then a coat of EEE-Ultra Shine Paste. It has some type of abrasives in it and leaves a smooth surface. The down side is it ambers the wood. I apply it with the lathe running at speed until the paper towell dosent pick up any more of the stuff. Then I use Shellawax Polish like a friction polish. On my larger things I use two coats of sanding sealer with steel wool between and then a coat of Urethane oil again with a paper towell at speed to help dry the oil from the heat. A second coat of oil can be applied the next day if you want more sheen.

Ron
 
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