On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 12:20:46 GMT, "George" wrote:


"Prometheus" wrote in message
.. .
Definately an opinion- I actually like spar poly for most of my stuff.
The only finish I prefer is shellac, even though it smells like a wet
dog when sanding and isn't very good for anything that has a chance of
getting wet.

Deft is good stuff, too.

Going out on a limb here- even though I do finish things with wax only
sometimes, doing that feels, well, waxy. And, much stickier feeling
to my paws than a thin coat of a decent poly.

Shellac is more resistant to water than you may think. One of the problems
with shellac and water is/was the _wax_ in the shellac. Seems it did what
wax does when it meets water, swell up and color. That's why wax finishes
and selling venues near open water don't mix. The wax is hygroscopic, and
what was slick as the proverbial bb becomes sticky in the high humidity.

I'm not an oenophile, lacking the palate, nor am I an anti poly, lacking the
visual sensitivity. A finish which is transparent and smooth looks very
much like any other transparent and smooth finish. Feels like it, too. I
think the "plastic" accusation has to do with the ease with which
high-solids finishes like brushing poly build surfaces. Betting none of the
above critics would be able to distinguish between poly and French polish
any more than SWMBO, whose exquisite taste in men qualifies her as an expert
everywhere could just now. She even has her glasses on.

There's a lot to that- if you put 6 or 7 coats of poly on something,
it's bound to look like it's been encased in plastic, and feel soft-
but for most things, 1-3 coats will do, and look just like many other
clearcoats, especially if you use something like oil to "pop" the
grain before applying the poly.

The big problem with it is that if it gets scratched sometime down the
line, it can't be easily repaired the way wax or shellac can because
sucessive coats don't dissolve into the coat below them. (at least,
that's my understanding of it)