Hello Derek,
One of the easiest ways to make oil finishes build faster is to seal the
wood first, then apply your chosen oil finish. I prefer using thin Lacquer
as a primary sealer... For many of the timbers you mentioned, you will see
less colour change in the timber if you seal first, the apply the oil.
The thin Lacquer will seal the surface fibres, preventing the subsequent
coats of oil from darkening the wood. In addition, the lacquer will allow
any oil to build faster, thus saving on material and application costs.
If you prefer not to use a sealer, one of the fastest building oils out
there is Liberon Finishing Oil. It is pricy (@ $30.00 per quart), but will
build a nice coat much faster than many oils. The cured film is easily
buffed and produces a subtle, provocative, sensual feeling when you run your
hands over the buffed surface. The cured film also retains a better
elasticity than many oils. This can be easily tested by performing a "Thin
Film Polymerisation Test" on a glass sheet.
If it's taking you 7-10 coats with your current oil, the Liberon should give
the same amount of build in 3-4 coats, unsealed and 2-3 if sealed. This is
an estimate though, as I do not know how you are defining an appropriate
build level - visual, tactile, gloss, degree of depth etc.
One drawback to using the Liberon FO... It is a medium to darkish amber
colour. On light timbers like Pine and Birch, it will cause the surface
colour to yellow and darken. This can be eliminated by applying the sealer
coat and is what I would recommend. I have been sealing oil based finishes
for years and rarely ever apply them anymore without a sealer coat laid on
first.
This not only cuts your finishing time down, it also saves a boat load of
money on expensive oils. In addition, the sealer will virtually eliminate
the colour change imparted by amber coloured oils on light hued timbers. If
you do not care for Lacquer, you can achieve the same result with a Shellac
based primary sealer. Thin Super Blonde, wax free Shellac would be an
excellent choice to consider.
You may also want to consider a water based oil finish. There are only a few
out there that I will use at the current state of the development of these
oils. If you would like more info on the water based oils, let me know. The
water based oils carry their own unique set of preparation challenges, but
offer some important benefits for your extra effort. Take care and all the
best to you and yours!
P.S. I will let you know when the CD/DVD. Volume 2 is ready to ship and will
be happy to offer a combo price with Volume #1.
--
Better Woodturning and Finishing Through Chemistry...
Steven D. Russell
Eurowood Werks Woodturning Studio
The Woodlands, Texas
Machinery, Tool and Product Testing for the Woodworking and Woodturning
Industries
³Woodturning with Steven D. Russell² Volume #1 CD ROM * Available for
Shipment
³Woodturning with Steven D. Russell² Volume #2 CD ROM/DVD Video * Available
Soon
On 8/6/04 4:25 PM, in article
, "Derek Hartzell"
wrote:
I want a good finish for my natural edge bowls. I've used tung oil, tung
oil mixed with mineral spirit and now use Daly's SeaFin Teak Oil which I
like a lot better than the other two. I also tried Formby's Tung Oil finish
and didn't really like it. It seemed more brittle and crystalline. I want
a penetrating type with oil, like an oil varnish to protect my natural edge
bowls. One criteria is a faster build than what I'm getting. Some bowls
like pine and birch may take up to about 7-10 coats. Most bowls including
apple, cherry and maple take at least 4 coats. One member of my local club
suggested TruOil and I'm leaning toward that based on good comments in the
archives. Any other suggestions? I'll be ordering the Russell CD's when he
intros the new one, but I need to get a gallon soon.
Thanks,
Derek