On Thu, 11 Aug 2005 16:03:49 +1000, Tana wrote:

A friend gave me this recipe for home-made oil finish for rustic furniture.

2 parts Linseed Oil
1 part Mineral Turpentine
1 part vinegar


In some old WW books (of UK origin) that formula, or some variation of
it, was *always* a cleaner, or reviver. I tried it, and was not very
impressed. It did not work well, you have to keep shaking it
continuously to keep it mixed, and it stinks! VM&P Naptha works
better.

Your friend may be confused with the following mix, which will make a
good oil/varnish wiping mix:

Equal parts BLO, spar varnish and turpentine.

You can fiddle with the proportions any way you like, to get the
finish desired. Some folk say use the best possible spar varnish,
while others claim the cheapest possible stuff works fine. I have only
used the cheaper polyurethanes and they give a good finish. Don't use
too much BLO, otherwise it can take days to dry out.

I have also experimented with adding dyes and artist's colors to this
mix, to get a "wiping varnish with color" It works well, but be
prepared to spent a lot of time messing about if you are fussy on the
precise color. The big advantage is that you can match the stain to
another piece of furniture.

Practice on some off-cuts to get the wiping techniques correct, and to
ensure the end color is what's desired. It can vary a lot, even on the
same species of wood.

Barry Lennox.