Finishing

It has been almost 15 years since I've carved our house number sign, and hung it above our front porch entrance. Over those years, the weather has taken a toll on the paint and gold leaf, although not as much as I expected. It has been taken down and is undergoing a repaint/gilding that should, I hope, last another 15 years. Completed photos to follow. On the same vein, I'll be redoing my shop sign(made from cypress wood) with a light sanding, restaining, and varnishing. These are good projects to do, inside, because of the cold and wind that we have been getting here!

Please bear with me. The following has many assumptions & when i'm wrong please enlighten me. Currently I'm in the process of making pens---by orders of SWMBO. Pen turning is not my most thrilling task. I am using CA (thin) & CA polish to finish the pens. Multiple coats (minimum of 3 each). This leaves a glossy/glassy finish---which seems to be the intent of using CA (assumption #1)---CA is expensive (fact #1). Previously, when using & reviewing the use of polyurethane, it also leaves a glossy/glassy (some say plastic looking) finish. (Assumption & fact #2). You can see where this is going--right? …

I am making wooden animal toys and need advice, please. My intention is to sell them. A company named Brin d' Ours sells a line I am using as inspiration. I am using 5x4 basswood for cost purposes and, for safety, a water base stain. When applying the stain, the end grain raises up and ruins my sanded surfaces. I tried a pre-stain, which causes the same effects. I am looking for as smooth a surface as I can get. I have considered a shellac-varnish treatment before the stain but have not tried this yet. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I also applied a beeswax coating for the finish but it just gets absorbed into the wood. thank you in advance!

I'm faced with a wife that thinks new, not repair. When I d I d my countertops I used a wood edge. My sons girlfriend like to do dishes and hand the rag over the edge. Over time It ate the fish off.

Seems over the years I've always built my projects and then applied the finish. Now I'm beginning to question that very practice. I'm working on a office cabinet/bookcase for my wife. The sides and shelves are plywood while the trim and doors are solid white oak. The carcass is assembled using pocket screws. As is I've got open shelves on the top section w/no doors while the lower section has a drawer and below that will be an adjustable shelf and have two raised panel doors. The caucus as done so far is attached. I am using General Finishes High Performance Satin as I have been on almost everything for years. I just like it's durability, finish, and ease of a…

From the Smithsonian on caring and preventing damage (attached file). Especially see the note on vinegar & linseed oil concoctions (p. 15) And an article by Jeff Jewitt on saving the finish (without stripping when possible) And Flexner why "don't refinish and 'destroy the value'" is not always correct and a response mcifurniturecare.pdf

Would someone please explain the reason(s) for applying shellac then a coat of polyurethane.

A good article on the subject. FWIW, Mitch has taught finishing and touch up at a place in Minnesota for many years. One of the touch up teachers I had with Mohawk was trained by him. I really had to chuckle at the opening line (Reminded me of Steve Mickley's "polyoneverythane" line) Recently I was asked to judge a woodworking show. One of the best pieces was a wonderfully constructed grandfather clock. Unfortunately, a quick brushing of polyurethane ruined the clock’s appearance. The clock’s creator said he chose polyurethane for protection. But how durable does a coating on a grandfather clock have to be? Why put a finish originally designed for floo…

Within the large box of canned goods from the relocating woodworker are some gel stains, dyes, sealers. I'm wanting to make grain pop a little more, so am branching out. First up, Bullseye Sealcoat Sanding Sealer. Like the way it went on. Did a 0000 buff after it dried - almost dried, next time I'll wait a little longer. Like the way it looks. What happens if I do nothing further - no top coat. No foul? @Gene Howe , you asked me about R.Monocoat, so I assume you're using it. Have you sealed your wood or used something to enhance grain prior to R.M. ?

There used to be a guy on another forum, who when someone asked, "What finish should I use for ...?" his response was ALWAYS one or both of two finishes, regardless of the project, wood, or intended use. Thankfully, after much conflict with real experts, he left. Now, I see lots of posts from people (who again always use the same finish for everything), and their go-to finish seems to be one or two of Olie's Oil, Rubio Monocoat or Osmo Polyox. I've yet to try any of these but wonder if they are just fads.

The air brush does it like I prefer. Maybe not everyones preference. So I can at least suggest if one needs a change every once in a while, give it a try! Especially if one needs an old timey looking whatever.

A friend of mine found a piece of ash in his in laws barn. It is already in the shape of a very large baseball bat. He wants to give it to his son and have all of his teammates sign throughout the years. What can you do to keep the marker from bleeding when they sign? If you put a shellac or something on first will the marker stick or rub off? If you put shellac on after will it smudge the marker? Has anyone played with something like this? I thought it was a great idea to do this. I might do this for my son as well. (with a homemade baseball bat of course!:) ) Thank you for any comments!

Has been some discussion of putting hard finishes over oil. I have always read and it is somewhere in Flexner's writing too that it is not a good idea to put had finish directly over oil finish. This article is by David Marks and expresses what I have practiced in reference to combining known or unknown finishes. Applying a Durable Lacquer Finish Over an Oil Finish

In about 7 weeks, my wife and I are going to have a new kitchen installed. This has been waiting almost a year to happen and we've chosen a "Shaker' style kitchen with some painted and natural woods. Our choice of knobs/pulls are a Shaker mushroom style and I'm in the process of staining/varnishing them for the kitchen. I needed some kind of "rack" that would allow me to do the finishing work without marring the finishes. I will able to use the screws to hold them and then slot them between the strips of wood while they dry.

Good article on shellac solvent https://www.finewoodworking.com/2022/03/21/where-to-buy-denatured-alcohol

Hello, I have posted about this before. But I thought that I would ask. Does someone out there have any of the parts for the Turbinaire gun that they would like to sell? I found a place in Canada who had some part but they wouldn't sell anything in the US. There is also the Finishing store that has parts that fit, but not for the gun. Best regards, Ron

Hello everyone. I'm looking for some help trying to match a blackwash looking finish that is on several used benches that we purchased. They were bought and sold for weddings several times before we came purchased them. We are building more of them but having a hard time matching the finish that was used. I think the finish has an almost gold color with black streaks. I realize they are several years old and the finish is weather faded and well wore. Looking at the bottom of the bench it looks like it was put on with a rag maybe and appears that it was put on in one step looking at where the finish ends. I have tried several stains with black paint wiped over but i…

A good article on shellac. The author is a long time instructor at a finishing school. I smiled at his comment, do you really need poly on a jewelry box or clock? What he does not mention is that Bullseye (except for the aerosol version) is a waxed shellac; Seal Coat is dewaxed. This is important if you plan to put another finish like varnish or water-borne on top -- you want a dewaxed version. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/finishing/brushing-shellac-2/?utm_campaign=PWW - NL - Sunday Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=203011645&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8LBuwuA9TOYf3kNNTlzTPXPNFTJmfwXUX_eEwDO3ix4qRa0pqSJ8LQZVJmApD4gcLcGnPTKgLqTvrPYfTazFWMvF-pGS9QM…

Years ago, I used a product on "antiques" that was for "refinishing without stripping". I used it several times with good results, but it has been quite awhile since then. Memory fails me, I cannot recall the products name, and searching the web has not produced any answers. It was basically a solvent that would dissolve the finish and re-flow it. The product set included gloves to use with it. If I remember correctly, rags and/or steel wool were used, dipped in the liquid. The color remained, and the finish ended up looking kind of like a hand rubbed finish. Does anybody know what the product was, and whether it is still available? Thanks, B…

Got some steps to put finish on next week and looking at poly. Minwax used to be what I used but I notice the can is now gray. Anyone know what the difference is? That said what brand does everyone use and is there a reason or like me just always used it?