Depends what you're doing with the finish in question too. One from the late Terry Cain:
On birch I like a lighter look than tung oil. The air will darken birch nicely after a year or so regardless. Tung oil is very durable and fine for darker woods like gunstocks etc., but birch goes blotchy a bit. A better goo is polyurethane (oil based, Sherwin Williams or any oil based varnish gloss) mixed 60%poly-40%mineral spirits (maybe stiffer weather permitting) and applied like a tung oil. Brush on and wipe off about 3-8 coats (24 hrs between coats min) sanding with 320 grit on a padded block. Then use a nice beeswax diluted into min. spirits (shave the beeswax with a chisel a few days ahead) add lilac or juniper oil -maybe some cheap perfume. Apply wax with #0000 steel wool and buff with cotton. And you have a faux French polish that will wear better than shellac. Has a stronger film against abrasion and moisture than tung. Smells good too. Basically this is Simon Watts and Jason La Trobe Bateman's finish, cabinetmakers to the Rothchilds, drawers and furniture etc. Some of the better Italian finishers inspect the cotton seed feilds the varnish is squished from, Varnish-o-philes. TC
On birch I like a lighter look than tung oil. The air will darken birch nicely after a year or so regardless. Tung oil is very durable and fine for darker woods like gunstocks etc., but birch goes blotchy a bit. A better goo is polyurethane (oil based, Sherwin Williams or any oil based varnish gloss) mixed 60%poly-40%mineral spirits (maybe stiffer weather permitting) and applied like a tung oil. Brush on and wipe off about 3-8 coats (24 hrs between coats min) sanding with 320 grit on a padded block. Then use a nice beeswax diluted into min. spirits (shave the beeswax with a chisel a few days ahead) add lilac or juniper oil -maybe some cheap perfume. Apply wax with #0000 steel wool and buff with cotton. And you have a faux French polish that will wear better than shellac. Has a stronger film against abrasion and moisture than tung. Smells good too. Basically this is Simon Watts and Jason La Trobe Bateman's finish, cabinetmakers to the Rothchilds, drawers and furniture etc. Some of the better Italian finishers inspect the cotton seed feilds the varnish is squished from, Varnish-o-philes. TC
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I have used a variety of finishes in the past and have found with plastic coat I can mimic most of them, and have a rugged finish. My personal favorite of all is real french polishing, but it takes for ever.
When I was making guitars, I did a few with tung oil finish.
I think this is great for a guitar, where you are holding it in your hands every day- it is warmer and more 'organic' feeling to me.
However, for a piece of furniture, or some art object you look at, I prefer the look of a high gloss, blocked and buffed to 10-12" depth of shine. (stand a ruler on the surface and see how 'deep' in the reflection you can read the ruler).
It almost doesn't matter what finish you use (provided it is a high-gloss finish); the blocking and buffing of that finish are what separate the "men from the boys" in this regard.
On pool cues, it is not uncommon to use super glue as a finish... (I don't use it myself, just saying...)
I think this is great for a guitar, where you are holding it in your hands every day- it is warmer and more 'organic' feeling to me.
However, for a piece of furniture, or some art object you look at, I prefer the look of a high gloss, blocked and buffed to 10-12" depth of shine. (stand a ruler on the surface and see how 'deep' in the reflection you can read the ruler).
It almost doesn't matter what finish you use (provided it is a high-gloss finish); the blocking and buffing of that finish are what separate the "men from the boys" in this regard.
On pool cues, it is not uncommon to use super glue as a finish... (I don't use it myself, just saying...)
I just dropped in, glad to see you got the formula I have shifted to using. There are some interesting variants. There is clear shellac and yellow, so you can play a bit.
I use a lot of alcohol in the first few coats to get better penetration. It dries real fast so you can play.
The poly top coat I do it three layers, first is 1/2 poly and 1/2 thinner. Choosing a thinner is critical. Most paint thinners are leftover even reprocessed. Either real turpentine or acetone will thin poly depending on who made it. Second coat is only 10% thinner. If a third is used it is 60% or more thinner over very dry surface.
Oh yeah I have a paint booth with an "explosion proof" fan and LED low voltage (no sparks or heat) lighting.
Only problem with shellac is without enough ventilation you will get drunk.
I don't like water based poly as it tends to fail when you clean it with a strong cleaner such as ammonia based types.
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