100% chance of heavy rains...

1) Formby's Tung Oil Finish has no actual Tung Oil in it. It's a thinned
Varnish (wiping varnish aka a polyurethane/oil formulation) with just a
touch of boiled linseed oil (BLO) in it.

2) Yep, the lacquer sanding sealer (just thinned lacquer that you can make
yourself and cheaper that way too) will interfere with the penetration of
the Formby's which, basically, negates the use of it especially because...

3) The Varnish (basically just a polyurethane) and the lacquer don't get
along well. You'll likely have adherence problems between the two. The
only thing saving your application (at least at this early stage) is the
fact that you scruffed the surface of the lacquer before applying the
Formby's. You'll still likely get separation. It would be even worse if
you'd reverse the application with the Varnish underneath and the lacquer on
top. Polyurethane (and it's offspring Varnish) adheres mainly by mechanical
means. This is why you must give it a slightly scuffed surface for it to
bind to between coats. Lacquer binds chemically (with other
finishes/paints/itself/etc). No need to provide a scuffed surface. This is
also why lacquer evens out much better than the Polyurethanes.

So, if you apply the lacquer over the varnish, there's nothing in the
varnish for the lacquer to chemically bind to.

I'm sure you have a nice looking surface, Stemo. Let's just hope it stays
that way.

A small change to your process is to just use a gloss lacquer finish in
place of the Formby's. If you want an incredibly glassy finish, very
lightly wet sand (800+ grit) between each coat or two of the gloss lacquer
for a few coats. You're not providing a binding surface for the next
lacquer coat, mind you. You're knocking down the high spots in the finish
and giving a uniform reflective surface instead of those high spots
reflecting light off in different directions. This is often called the
Piano Finish procedure. I've used it pretty successfully with black lacquer
many times before to give that deep wet look.

- Andrew



"Ken Moon" wrote in message
.net...

"Wood Turn It Dont Burn It" wrote in message
...
If you're like me and love to turn but not overly love the finishing
process, this finishing process may be your answer.
First, and yes most important, you must prepare your project for the
finish with the various stages of sanding until your satisfied with the
surface of your project. After the sanding is complete, I apply 2 coats
of Deft Lacquer Sanding Sealer, with a buffing of 000 steel wool after
each coat. Then I use Formby's Tung Oil Finish (I prefer the High Gloss
Finish) with a cloth lint free rag, let dry at least 12 hours, lightly
steel wool again and give it another coat. When dry, it looks like
glass. By the way, I got the Formby's at Walmart for about 5 bucks for
a pint which should finish many projects, and the Deft at Woodcraft for
about 7 bucks.
==================================
Stemo,
I don't want to rain on your parade, but the process yopu describe defeats
the real benefit of the tung oil - a penetrating finish. Use of the
sanding
sealer prevents the penetration of the tung oil, and also prevents the
color
enhancement that the tung oil can provide. The sanding sealer will "pop"
the
grain some, but not like tung oil or danish oil will. You might want to
try
reversing your application and see if doesn't improve the appearance.

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX