Finishing 101 ???

[cseymour]

Hi All,
Well I finally cut a couple things (thanks Steve Good) that I actually want to finish.
I thought I had seen a thread that kind of listed some basic materials required to do finishing of pieces (pans, mason jars, etc.).

These pieces are birch plywood from BORG, some voids but they look half-way like I kinda knew what I was doing what would be a recommended finish for these, bowls and mini clock.

Any and all thoughts, suggestions would be welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks to all.

Chris

[jowshu98]

Hi Chris,

I too enjoy Steve's patterns and videos, especially being only into this for close to a year now. Anyway, you will get a variety of opinions on this topic and there is a wealth of knowledge contained in this forum, just seach the word finish and you'll see what I mean. Myself, I've tried danish oils, water based stains (great when it's fridgid out and you don't have adequate ventilation), milk paint, spray paint and a variety of top coats, it depended on the piece. I know in his videos Steve Good wipes everything down with lemon oil; you'll find a posting from me asking about this in the finishing section. I actually just tried it out for the first time tonight on one of his tealight candleholder patterns I cut for a gift. It's drying as we speak, so I'll let you know how it comes out. I know for me this was the scariest part of it all, finishing that is. Having spent the time cutting I didn't want to ruin the piece by doing something wrong. I came here, studied up and came to the conclusion that if I screw up I just get to make more sawdust. Hope this helps.

jowshu

[lucky788scroller]

I would say Danish oil, and aerosol deft. Danish applied either by dipping the piece in it (a tub, or cakepan, ice cream bucket),or by wiping it on with a rag or brush (foam brush ,rags, a small bowl of some sort to dip into) , or a large fretwork piece, spray the danish oil on (a fancy expensive sprayer, or a 99 cent plant misting bottle). Compressed air is handy for blowing out excess in veining and tight areas, and some rags to wipe the piece down with after the oil soaked in (lintfree rags).As for deft, I like the aerosol cans.. shake and spray. Dale

[cseymour]

Thanks guys,
I will give them a try. One other question I had was how do you let the pieces dry? Do you normally hang them or can you stand them up if possible to allow the finish to dry?

Hopefully, will be giving this a shot this weekend.

Thanks.

Chris

[workin for wood]

I go HVLP acrylic and I use a nail board for finishing. I blast that poly deep into the cracks. I just like it better with a real top coat on my projects. Finishing is all up to the maker...kinda like what's your favorite color. A nail board is just a scrap of plywood with a bazillion nails shot through it. Ends up looking like a porcupine. The project just sits on it and gets sprayed, then even before it's dry, it's flipped over and sprayed from the back. Let it dry, sand both sides then spray both sides again, keep repeating till you are happy. 2 coats is usually good enough, some softer woods might need 3 or 4 coats due to absorbtion issues and hair raising.

[JohnB]

G'day Chris,
Have a look here, it may give you some ideas and hints.
My thoughts on Finishing

[cseymour]

Thanks John,
I will definitely read through the information.

Cheers.
Chris

[jowshu98]

Hi Chris,

Thought I'd let you know that I've finished the piece I talked about earlier and that I was quite happy with the way it turned out. For anyone wanting the pattern visit Steve Goods website. The lemon oil did bring out the grain, darkened it up a little and was very easy to use (didn't need to worry about ventilation in an enclosed garage when the temp outside was in the teens). I just let it dry a day or two then topped it off with some laquer. I'm not sure how well it will hold up long term but Steve seems to have good luck with it.

jowshu

[cseymour]

Hi Jowshu,
The tea lite holder looks great. Steve's patterns have been a great intro for me. With each piece I feel myself getting more confident. I am still trying to find the Formby's lemon oil. My HomeDepot and Lowe's didn't carry it.

I am assuming the brand isn't important, so I am trying one more place today and if no luck, will try another brand.

Thanks for sharing the photos of you project, it came out great.

cheers.

Chris

[jowshu98]

Chris,

Thanks. I too found Steve's patterns and videos a great intro as well as Rick H's. As far as the lemon oil I got mine at Wal-mart, they had Formby's and some others but you're right brand doesn't matter.

Thanks again,

jowshu