The perfect finish

i think that the formula is 1/3 of each ingredient. Id assume that you would put on about 4 coats and then start lightly sanding with 400 grit. Building it up from there to say 8-10 coats for a table top or until youre either sick of it or satisfied.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

I’ve mixed my own “wipe-on” poly several times in the past. It looks great and it’s easy to apply. I’ve never used shellac first. The formulas are:
1 part semi-gloss poly (Minwax)
1 part blo
1 part mineral spirits
This formula will give the wood a nice amber patina over time.
If I don’t want the piece to have that amber look, I use tung oil instead of blo. I don’t see the need in combining tung oil with blo because basically they serve the same purpose.

I usually wipe it on, let it sit for 15-30 minutes and wipe off the excess. I start this process in the morning and repeat the process every hour until I get the desired look. That way I don’t have to sand between coats. If you wait more than 4-5 hours before applying another coat, I would lightly sand with 00 steel wool or the equivalent.

After it dries for a few days, I rub it out with a mixture of paste wax thinned with mineral spirits and applied with 0000 steel wool or equivalent pad and then apply a coat of regular paste wax.

-- I have metal in my neck but wood in my blood!!

The varnish certainly does not have to be “poly”. I just don’t understand the current fasination with the stuff. A good wiping varnish over shellac will yield a beautiful classic finish without the plastic look that “crapithane” produces.
We seem to be fixated on reinventing the age-old art of finishing.
There….I feel better.
Bill

-- bill@magraphics.us

I dunno ‘bout no perfect finish but I do know I have a new go to finish
General Finishes Enduro Pre-Cat 181 I was staggerblasted.

I can re coat in 30 minutes and you should see my shop. It’s got oodles of fine and coarse dust and chips everywhere and fans running all the time – day and night. I’m a very sloppy woodworker. But I can brush that stuff on in my dusty dirty shop and get absolutely zero dust entrainment in the finish.

I’ve always had a nightmare with dust in my finish. I’d have to go through the most incredible exercise to get any hope of minimizing dust while it was curing up. Poly tents galore, wetting the floors you name it It was such a royal PITA~!!! And it was so utterly discouraging.

I’ve tried making wiping urethanes using Xylene for speedy dry ‘cause Mineral spirits was too damn slow. It sort of worked OK but re coating was not in 30 minutes and I was still getting that plasticy look. I experimented with French Polish the old school dust resistant finish. I bought a fine Italian HVLP gun and was planning on building a special dedicated room for spraying with filters and god knows what all else.

BUT
I got a can of pre-cat and played with it for a bit and used it on this project http://lumberjocks.com/cr1/projects here and oh my good gracious it was a joy to work with, finished up beautifully, I mean I’ve never had a finish so damn pretty, so easy to apply, so utterly absolutely guaranteed bullet proof against dust getting in my finish

And it’s tough as nails too, I know a guy who uses it in the kitchens he installs. He does butcher block counter tops.

I’m in love and she’s a sweet girl, Her name is Pre-Cat 181

Oh and did I mention? She cleans up with soap and water.

-- When the moderator chooses sides, his site sucks.

Thanks cr1, I’ll have to try that out. I also have lots of dust nib problems as well as cat hairs.

-- I have metal in my neck but wood in my blood!!

Thanks for the input everyone. Autumn when you apply ths finish do you rub it on and rub it off? This one is totally new to me.

Tim – what kind of wax are you speaking of? Would car wax work, or am I again explaining to “da little woman” that I NEED to make yet another trip to the hardware store for some “super special wax.”??

-- Harold

I just use the basic Minwax: Paste Finishing Wax from Home Depot.

-- I have metal in my neck but wood in my blood!!

Wow Tim – you replied fast… I still have 47 mins to edit my comment that you replied too!! :~)

Do you think car wax would work or not?

-- Harold

I’m not sure. It depends on the finish and the wax. I have used TurtleWax Polishing Compound to “rub-out” a finish on Lacquer but the Lacquer needs a couple of weeks to cure first. Then you have to add a finish layer a regular wax. I have heard of people using pure Carnuba Car Wax on wood working projects with great results. Caution: Lots of “car wax” products have a grit or pumice in them so they wouldn’t make a good final finish, in my opinion. Have you ever seen swirl marks on a car before?

I’ve heard a lot of good things about the beeswax mixture that Autumn mentioned and I’ll probably start using that soon.

Good luck!!!

-- I have metal in my neck but wood in my blood!!

Lots of questions my fellow LJ’s Hope someone(s) gives me all the answers I need.

(Autumn) – I assume that what you have spoke of (wax turning white in the grain) would occur if the wood is unfinished. But are you suggesting that it occurs even after the wood is finished?

(Everybody) I’m rebuilding garden benches and have used cypress (except for one piece that is cedar – I’ll explain that when I post the project). At this very moment I have taken two scrap pieces of the cypress to determine what finish to use. I (being the simple – new to this craft kinda guy) had simply planned on using Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane – clear satin. I guess this is considered poly – right? But then I read this forum and was introduced to wipe on. So one piece of wood has this poly product and the other has what Ken described above. I used 1/3 of this Spar Urethane, 1/3 Mineral Spirits, and 1/3 Tung Oil and applied as a wipe on application

At this point I have 5 coats of the wipe on to one board and 3 coats of the poly to the other. The poly looks less shiny and also gives the impression of a tougher finish. Both seem to result in the same appearance as far as color tones. I guess the tung oil added some shine to the mixture. Da little woman won’t like that! She’s a satin kinda gal.

I read in Ken’s comments that he wipes off excess within 15 mins. Maybe because my pieces are so small, but I seem to have no excess to wipe off. Also, the first 3 coats of wipe on and the first two coats of the brushed on poly where applied in full sun. I later brought them in to the garage/shop and applied additional coats. I don’t know that the sun effects it one way of the other.

Some place I read that settling dust is not a big issue with the wipe on process. Is this true – why??

And one final question (for now) any reason why one could not wipe on the poly?? Or is poly to thick, it is better applied with a brush? Maybe I could simply thin the poly with mineral spirits and not add the tung oil and apply with a cloth. That might give me the wipe on application without the shine.

Patiently awaiting to glean from your knowledge.

-- Harold

Definitely favoriting this thread. Why spend the big bucks on Danish Oil when you can make your own?

-- Dan, Rochester, NY

Harold:

The wipe on poly product you buy at the store is just a thinned down version of regular poly. It has to be thinned to wipe on well. Yes, just thin your poly with mineral spirits before application if you wipe…or spray for that matter.

The wipe on method dries fast because there is less actual poly and more solvent.

Fast drying = fewer dust nibs

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com

”The only downside of car wax is if you are using a dark colored wood that has open pores, like walnut, for instance. The car wax will fill the pores and the wax will dry white. It’s a nightmare to rectify, requiring long hours with a toothbrush and mineral spirits.”

Autumn: You forgot to add “Don’t ask me how I know this.” :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Harold: Don’t overthink it. You are doing garden benches, not a jewelry box. The appropriate finish, IMO, is to just brush on that Spar urethane you bought. End of story. If it is glossier than your wife likes for some reason, go over it with some #0000 steel wool.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"