When I want an "in the wood" type of finish with no mess and no fuss, I'll mix up a 3 part ratio of varnish,oil, and mineral spirits. It's cheap, it works, and it's easy.

A long time ago I'd always default to the can of varnish and brush and or spray gun. Not anymore.
There is a time and place for a great varnish or poly protective finish such as cabinet work and other types of flat work, but there are many opportunities that I think many of us pass up to use a simple wipe on finish whether it be store bought Watco or your own concoction.

Not everything needs protection from harmful elements such as sweating beverage glasses or damaging UV. And depending on how you mix your wipe on, it can be a very protective finish as well.
Do you use a wipe on finish? And if so for what purposes and what do you use?

Thank you for any feedback in advance!
 

For pens, 99.9% get the CA glue finish wipe on. The other .01% (usually one I keep for myself will get a oil finish if some sort. I like the way it ages when used. It also depends on if the wood is decaying at all, if so, then CA only gets used.

As for the rest of my turnings, I usually use a bees wax and mineral oil mix or paste wax /w carnauba and mineral oil finish.

Charles, I love the patina of oil and varnish after even a few months, very rich and deep.

Charles Nicholls said:

For pens, 99.9% get the CA glue finish wipe on. The other .01% (usually one I keep for myself will get a oil finish if some sort. I like the way it ages when used. It also depends on if the wood is decaying at all, if so, then CA only gets used.

As for the rest of my turnings, I usually use a bees wax and mineral oil mix or paste wax /w carnauba and mineral oil finish.

 

 

I'll have to try it John, I have been hearing good things about it for all kinds of turnings.

The thing I love about wiping finishes, is there are no runs, clean up is a snap, and the finish is perfect every time, thanks for jumping in here Charles!

You bet John.. Another late night for both of us again but I am off to bed.

I like the wipe on oil finish as it is easy to do and gives beautiful results. It is a finish that does need to be maintained over the years but it is an easy thing to do.

Below are a few pics of the Cedar Lined Walnut Blanket Chest that I made with John Moody and Ron Dudelston for my son and daughter in law this past month while we were back in Indiana and Alabama. Since I had to do the work in my son's garage of the house they just bought, I just went to the local Rockler Woodworking Store and bought a quart can of the the "Sam Maloof Finish" which is an equal 3 part oil/varnish/minieral spirit that is pre-packaged as opposed to buying the separate elements as it was less expensive and I did not have to deal with measuring or mixing but just had to stir the can. I put on multiple coats for a 4 day period before we had to head back home to California. The results were beautiful.

This is the walnut chest with no finish after we wrapped it up down in Alabama at John Moody's shop. It still needed the trim and cedar lining and final sanding which Ron Dudelston and I did back in Ron's shop in Indiana.

 

Here is the walnut chest after getting the multiple coats of the 3 part oil/varnish/mineral spirits mixture done in my son's garage. It turned out beautiful.

 

I love that grain Allen, it turned out absolutely gorgeous

wow that is beautiful,i havent ventured to usin oils yet,i use the miniwax poly coating for now,but have been wantin to expand my knowlege of usin othe thing to finish my projects,so all the advice would be usefulan taken to heart 

I have and do use those finishes also. I have used them on cabinets in the shop as well.

I will say, though I do spray a lot of finishes. It was something I stayed away from for a while, but he more I have sprayed the better I have gotten with it and I like the finish. With the water based products out there today, clean up is pretty easy also.

Definitely a spray finish is the way to go for many project John, especially when you want a protective coating.

I love using wiping oils with some protective qualities in it for that in the wood finish, where you can see the open grains.

To me, oil based finishes are the only way to go.  Really brings out the beauty of the wood.

I used multiple coats of the oil, varnish, thinner blend on my side table for our camper. It gets exposed to the weather for 6 - 8 weeks each year and still looks as it did when I made it 3 years ago.

I used multiple coats of the oil, varnish, thinner blend on my side table for our camper. It gets exposed to the weather for 6 - 8 weeks each year and still looks as it did when I made it 3 years ago.

That's pretty impressive John! And welcome back to the forums! Great to have you aboard. What have you been up too, projects, work, life?

Unfortunately, there are very few times that I can use a wipe-on finish with my scroll work.  I still use an oil based finish but the finish is spayed on.

YOU GUYS REALLY NEED TO CHECK OUT "WATERLOX" FINISHES.

 

EASY TO APPLY AND THEY WEAR LIKE ARMOR.

 

AND TO RENEW, ALL YOU DO IS CLEAN AND LIGHT SAND (220) AND APPLY ANOTHER COAT.

 

MAKES THE WOOD POP.

YOU GUYS REALLY NEED TO CHECK OUT "WATERLOX" FINISHES.

 

EASY TO APPLY AND THEY WEAR LIKE ARMOR.

 

AND TO RENEW, ALL YOU DO IS CLEAN AND LIGHT SAND (220) AND APPLY ANOTHER COAT.

 

MAKES THE WOOD POP.

Waterlox, heard plenty about it Mike, but never tried it, thanks for reminding me it's even out there.

where can i get the carnuba wax from,would like to try that,after using the Tung oil, i am thinkin of usin more oils an such

where can i get the carnuba wax from,would like to try that,after using the Tung oil, i am thinkin of usin more oils an such

Ron, you can purchase Carnuba Wax from various locations but being as I am partial to Woodcraft, here is a link for Carnuba Wax from Woodcraft.

Now as far as tung oil you can also order that from Woodcraft at 100 percent Pure Tung Oil.

Now beware of Tung Oil wannabes at your local big box store, they do not sell pure tung oil. And be sure that Tung is even the finish you want. Tung oil is fine but there are less expensive alternatives, such as BLO or Boiled Linseed Oil that can be purchased at your local hardware or big box store.

Also keep in mind that just oil alone is not going to give you the protective qualities that you may need depending on the use of your item you are finishing. Yes wax may add a layer of protection, but it too will eventually wear away as will the oil as well. Over time the oil will soak deeper into the wood, and also dry to a point where that original wonderful magnification of the wood grain you saw when you applied the oil the first day, will eventually wear off. So you really should consider another layer of finish over the oil, such as a varnish, or if you want to stay with wiping oils, as I love to do, you can mix your own concoction from 3 parts varnish, oil, and mineral spirits.

In reality those wiping oils and finishes you buy from the hardware store or the big box store, are just that, a mix of varnish, oil, and mineral spirits.

You can also take the easy and trustworthy way out and kill all birds with one stone, I love Watco Danish Oils. They are wonderful easy to apply and wipe on, let soak, wipe off formula and they add protection.

 

And as you noted, wax! No custom in the wood finish is finished till you wax it! The wax even's out the tone of the project, and gives the overall appearance of the project a nice tone and warmth to it. I don't like the traditional Johnson's Paste wax, instead I am sold on Liberon Bison Paste Wax, easy to apply, it does not dry too fast on you to the point it is hard to rub out and off, and it smells great too. And there is a deep warmth and color tone quality that Johnson's just does not possess.

 

If you need more information please do not hesitate to reply back here and we'll get you going on the road to great finishes!