oil finish only

[RAIN MAN]

Does anyone ever use an oil finish only. I use blend seed oil and then apply a satin poly on top. Can you get away with a couple a coats of an oil finish and will it look as if if has a finish or just like raw wood? Also,if you do just use an oil finish, will it oil up on the surface when under heavy lighting? Any help would be appreciated. Tks, Rain Man

[warren59]

An oil finish would be boiled linseed oil, or tung oil and they both will leave somewhat of a raw looking finish and will have to be renewed about once a year. Danish oil and Watco is acutally a blend of oil and varnish and a couple of coats will seal the wood, but there will not be much left on the surface. Have you ever tried DEFT, its a lacquer in a spray can you can buy at Lowes and its leaves a great surface finish, its comes in gloss, satin or semigloss. I finish all my projects using a air brush and Deft semigloss lacquer, three coats. I don't know what will happen to an oil finish under heavy lighting, an oil finish attacts dust and looks terrible after the first year.
Warren
Warren

[warren59]

An oil finish would be boiled linseed oil, or tung oil and they both will leave somewhat of a raw looking finish and will have to be renewed about once a year. Danish oil and Watco is acutally a blend of oil and varnish and a couple of coats will seal the wood, but there will not be much left on the surface. Have you ever tried DEFT, its a lacquer in a spray can you can buy at Lowes and its leaves a great surface finish, its comes in gloss, satin or semigloss. I finish all my projects using a air brush and Deft semigloss lacquer, three coats. I don't know what will happen to an oil finish under heavy lighting, an oil finish attacts dust and looks terrible after the first year.
Warren

[Bill Wilson]

I agree with Warren regarding the oil (plain BLO or tung oil) as a stand alone finish. Some do like it, but I think most projects benefit from a top coat of something (shellac, varnish, lacquer, etc). These oils are typically intended to add a little color and/or make the grain pop in darker colored woods like cherry & walnut. Plain BLO or tung oil do not have any real protective qualities and after a while they get dull. Personally I think plain oil contributes to dust accumulation on the piece, so the appearance can degrade over time.

[RAIN MAN]

Thanks for the advice. If you do use blo and then put a top coat of poly on it wil you still have the dust problem? Tks, Rain Man

[Richard Grover]

Don't really want to hijack this thread but it is related. I have been told to use a 50/50 BLO and Minerial Spirits finish on puzzles and collaspible baskets. Haven't tried it yet, but the more I read the more unsettled I am about an oil finish. what do all you good, experienced people recomend. I am looking for something that is quick, but will hold up after I have sold them. I spray all my larger pieces but somehow I find that difficult for a collasible basket. I could spray the puzzle pieces if I wanted to.

DG Dewalt 788

[Bill Wilson]

IMHO, everything will collect dust and due to the nature of many scrolled projects, it's going to be a constant battle . The question is, how hard is it to clean it? BLO isn't a cured, film type finish, so there isn't a "coating" per se on the wood. It absorbs into the wood, leaving any natural roughness of the surface as it is. Also, BLO takes a long time to cure, some say it never actually cures completely, at least to the point of being hard. As such, dust that gets on it may tend to stick more. With a smooth, protective coating, dust will still accumulate, but it is easier to remove. Usually a light touch with a vacuum or compressed air will remove most surface dust.

Now, it can be difficult to get that very smooth finish, especially on delicate fretwork. It's not like you can go over every surface with fine sandpaper or steel wool, like you would with a piece of furniture for example. That's one reason I generally avoid waterborne finishes, because they raise the grain. You may be able to smooth some of the surfaces, but pretty hard to get into all the frets where dust tends to accumulate.

Polyurethane can also be a bit of a problem, because it takes so long to dry. First coats can seem rough because dust has settled in the finish or bubbles have burst, before the poly dried. Sanding between coats minimizes this roughness, but again, getting in all the nooks and crannies, inherent to scroll work, is a challenge.

The dust problem may be why some scrollers prefer to leave their pieces natural, with no finish.

[Bill Wilson]

Originally Posted by Richard Grover

Don't really want to hijack this thread but it is related. I have been told to use a 50/50 BLO and Minerial Spirits finish on puzzles and collaspible baskets. Haven't tried it yet, but the more I read the more unsettled I am about an oil finish. what do all you good, experienced people recomend. I am looking for something that is quick, but will hold up after I have sold them. I spray all my larger pieces but somehow I find that difficult for a collasible basket. I could spray the puzzle pieces if I wanted to.

DG Dewalt 788

I don't make puzzles or baskets, but I would guess the reason for using the thinned BLO on these is to avoid adding a film finish that would interfere with the movement of the parts. If you apply any finish that builds on the surface, you could cause problems with the puzzle or basket sticking. In these cases, you need a finish that is absorbed in the wood, rather than one that lays on the surface of the wood. You may be able to use an oil/varnish type finish like Watco. It has a bit of varnish in it, so it will build a little, but applied carefully, perhaps not enough to cause problems. YOu may be able to use shellac as well as it doesn't build much thickness. It all depends on how much tolerance there is between the parts that need to freely move.