"AHilton" wrote in message
...
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.
====================================
I guess I must be getting too trusting in my old age. I just assumed that
because the name said "tung oil", that's probably what it was!!
The procedure you describe is the same that custom auto painters use to get
that "foot deep" lacquer finish on show cars. On some wood surfaces, you'll
get some grain ripples over time that might not show up as much on a less
glossy surface, but it will still look good.

Ken Moon
Webberville, TX