# Whip on poly, have I been using the wrong stuff?



## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

Is there any advantage to the whip on polyurethane over the regular stuff. I hate brushes. I hate painting. I'm a lousy painter. So when I apply polyurethane (MinWax usually) I pour some out of a quart can, mix in some mineral spirits and whip it on with a rag. No runs, no holidays, no damn brushes to clean. Today I notice on the stain and finish shelf that MinWax markets a Whip-On Satin poly. Is there an advantage?


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## Kreegan (Jul 10, 2012)

Wipe on poly is just thinned poly.


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## Finisherman (May 3, 2013)

You're doing just fine. What you've created is your own version of wipe on polyurthethane. The only difference is likely to be in the price. If what you're doing is working well for you, continue to use that approach. The wipe on polyurthane that you saw at the store has flattening agents in it to give it a satin sheen. That's obout the only difference, as far as I know. If you want a satin sheen, buy a can of regular satin varnish and thin it down like you've been doing.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

Yep. Same stuff, just pre-thinned. Save the $$, buy the poly in a can and thin it yourself as you've been doing.


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

Thank goodness I don't have to change my ways! I hate when I have to do that. If I remember correctly the one pint can of whip on was about the same price as a quart of the real stuff. Quite the marketing ploy.

Thanks guys.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*Muleskinner*, I use the same stuff sometimes but I apply it with sheepskin wool like those used for floor finishing. I cut about a two inch square, use that for a project, keep it in a seal able plastic bag until all coats are complete, and then I dispose of it. I have tried cleaning one but it just comes out hard and not very useable. One of those floor finishing pads yields about four to six projects, depending on project size.

These things don't shed and it takes very little to cut off a piece and remove the loose ends with a lint roller or card file.


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## muleskinner (Sep 24, 2011)

That sounds like a good idea, Hans. It'll relieve my wife of her suspicion that there's some pervert running around with a granny panty fetish.


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## odiefish (May 19, 2013)

I like the idea of the cloth being saved in a ziplock bag.

When using a wipe on poly does anyone notice that the rack gets some stain that lifts off the wood? I just used some for the first time and I wonder if it is do to the mineral spirits etc.


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

That Minwax wipe-on poly is a great product. I used to make my own and had decent results, but I like the Minwax product better than my home brew and it is a relatively inexpensive product. It won a wipe on finish bake-off in FWW a few years back if I recall correctly.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*odiefish* yes I have noticed that the applicator (sheepskin in my case) does pick up a little but only on really dark stains! I typically don't stain oak which I use the most.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I've never used any "whip on" poly before…...I usually use the other stuff…........


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

"*Whip on poly*, have I been using the wrong stuff?" 
Yes , the wipe on poly covers much more area and is easier to apply.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

General Finishes has some real good stuff too. I am sitting next to an oak table I did ~25 years ago it still looks like new … well almost. I think the stuff I used was called GF Arm-R-Seal.

As I said, it's been years ago and I believe I applied three coats … *it was cold in Illinois when I made this table* ... a little humor there!


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