wood finish: linseed oil + turpentine ?

[JC Fardo]

Hello diyers

I´d like to know your experience on this blend.

I found in a swedish page (Stephan?) an article about finnishing a Proac 2.5 clone using 60-40% mix but no further comments.

There´s a good thread in this forum about wood finish with danish oil only, but I´d like to know if I use this blend with same procedures.

In advance thanks for comments and assistance

JC

[mgreene]

Gunstock finishers say that this mix never really dries/ gets hard. For my money, there are a lot of other finishes that are easier to apply and may look better - depending on the type of wood. Consider nitrocelluose lacquer, danish oil, tung oil and so on. Lacquer looks unbelievable on mahogany. tung oil followed by shellac looks good on maple. There is really no substiute for making test strips. I was going to use a danish oil type fininsh on my latest project but the test stips showed that varnish looks better (to me) on dark walnut.

Mike

[Noksukau]

You might want to close your other thread JC, to save any confusion.

[JC Fardo]

Originally posted by Noksukau
You might want to close your other thread JC, to save any confusion.

You´re right, I hate messing with this forum. How can I do that?

Some times it seems too late to correct and OTOH moderator have done it already


Thanks
JC

[bear]

I like WATCO brand "Danish Oil" which comes in clear and with stain built in... it ends up as a tough and reasonably hard finish that can be "repaired" and buffs up nicely with a hard wax over it.

It's currently owned by MinWax, a big brand company...

You can also finish it with a "Tung Oil" type *varnish* finish, I prefer Waterlox brand here in the USA. Available in high gloss (GYM FINISH) and semi-gloss, it has the nice aspect of being able to be put on by wiping, brushing or spraying. Sands out well, can be recoated, and after a number of coats gives a fabulous finish. It does darken slightly over time, but very nicely. It's resistant to water and alcohol, unlike shellac. Doesn't darken as much as shellac, and won't craze like old shellac.

With rather little care and effort it gets you a really nice finish... way better than any poly I have ever tried.

Fabulous over maple and mahagony, paduk, etc...

Turps is smelly and nasty stuff... linseed unless "modified" stays sticky, as noted.

_-_-bear

PS. what I wrote above isn't entirely clear... I like Waterlox *over* Watco... although either one will work alone

[Ed LaFontaine]

Consider there are 2 types of "finish" being discussed here.
Oil-based penetrating and lacquer or poly-based finishes. The oil based can be considered IN the wood whereas the lacquer and poly-based finishes have the characteristic of building a surface coating.
With oil you may continue to touch the wood. With lacquer and poly you build a "plastic" layer over the wood. In this case "plastic" is not necesarily a bad thing...there is a value in the type of protection provided with these finishes.
Watco along with others are oil-based and contain urethanes. They are a hybrid, if you will.
Finishing wood can be labor intensive. If you invest sufficient "elbow grease" between coats and progress through the grits to XXXX steel wool, you will allow the spirit of the wood to complement your project.

[markp]

My mother has used 10 weight oil and turpentine as a furniture polish for years. It is a great wood preserver but it is dangerous until it dries.

[usekgb]

I just tried a blend of Linseed Oil, Tung Oil, and Polyurithane (spelling?) on some curly maple a couple weeks ago and I was very impressed. The first couple coats soak in to the wood, and further coats start to build up on the surface. I actually left this strip of maple out in the rain for the last couple of weeks, and it still looks as good as it did when I finished it.

Cheers,
Zach

[Dozuki]

I'm Kinda partial to using a hybrid method similar to Zach's. I personally do not like linseed oil as it takes a VERY long time to fully cure and it is the most yellowing of the oils I've used. My preference is Tung Oil. Cures faster and is less yellowing thus keeping more to the natural color of the wood. My approach is to use an Oil/Turpentine mix (~2:1) for the first coat. The terpentine thins the oil and allows it to penitrate the wood quicker. Basically you apply the misture to the whole surface with a cloth and then go back over it with a clean cloth about 10 minutes later. 2nd coat the next day with pure Tung oil using the same procedure. Allow each coat to dry 24 hrs. After that I use a hybrid mix of Tung/Turentine/Ureathene the ratio depends on how much you want the finish to build up, more Ureathane and the finish builds up more and vica versa. The turpentine is just used to get the Tung and Urethane to mix easier. Use this to build up as many coats as you want, Polish with fine steel wool, and wax with a furniture paste wax. Takes a while to do, but very much worth the effort. (when using the hybrid mix, be carefull not to wait too long to wipe it back down as the Urethane makes it cure quickly)

-D.

[JC Fardo]

Many thanks to all who answer. Very clarifying details.

Unfortunatelly no Watco and MinWax here. Tung oil only in large industrial cans.

I´ll try a blend of linseed, tumpertine and balance of PU and see what results. If descent, will post here

I love this forum

JC