# Have you used Tried and True Varnish Oil? (that's a brand name)



## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

I was leafing through some old FWW and found a piece by Chris Becksvoort in which he says he has gone to this exclusively and he explains why. (#152, p. 74)

I had not heard of it. It's sold by Rockler and Woodcraft and others.

I have just completed a project and I used wiping varnish comprised of Sherwin Wms' Satin polyurethane (NOT fast drying) and mineral spirits and I'm very pleased with the results. I think the cooler weather (never over 33o F. during the day) really helped slow the cure so it flattened really well. I varied the recipe by intuition, depending on where it was in the sequence.

Still, I'm curious about Tried and True.

Kindly,

Lee


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

I have used the Tried and True brand of oils and finishes for some years now. Lee Valley is the supplier in our area.

I recently noticed that Marc (of Wood Whisperer fame) used the Varnish Oil to seal his newly built Roubo workbench.

Lee, I would recommend them, I have had great success with their products.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

When we did a complete re-build of our house in Canada in 2004 / 5, I built this kitchen island. The top is walnut with Tried & True varnish oil. We used it because it is a food grade (no toxins) finish and we use the top for food preparation. My wife loves it. The finish gets deeper and glows a little more with each annual re-coat. The downside is that after the re-coat it takes about three days to a week to fully dry. The upside is that all the year's marks and scratches go away.


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Thank you, Paul and Randy. On your mutual recommendation, I ordered a can o' the stuff today.

Kindly,

Lee


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

i used some on a table

the only problem i found
was that the rosewood
(first time i ever used it)
kept spiting the tried and true
back out for months

but i suspect all oily wood will do this
still have the can
just haven't used it again yet


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## roman (Sep 28, 2007)

Don Kondra has a recipe I really like……….tried it, loved it.


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## vipond33 (Jul 25, 2011)

Unless a project is intricate, needs a bulletproof coating or unless I'm feeling really lazy, T+T with varnish is the only finish I use anymore.
It gives me warmth, lustre and a reasonable build with 4-6 very thin coats. I have little trouble with drying time in a warm environment and I put my container on top of an electric coffee cup warming pad to keep it hot, thin and ready to work.
Thin is key for sure. Also, ring porous woods will give bleed-back unless first sealed with wiping varnish or shellac so I always take that step.
What's not to like? So easily renewable, sweet smelling and drinkable if you run out of beer. It never looks or feels plastic'y.
Best examples on my posted work would include a chest of drawers, my 33 cabinet, and my coffee table.
Becksvoort was my inspiration for the switch and I would encourage others to read his piece.
gene


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## DouginVa (Mar 5, 2012)

I used it on some small products. While I liked the end result, it seemed to take forever to cure. The instructions emphasize applying very thin coats, which is what I thought what I was doing. I dunno, maybe it was the humidity in our area (Washington, D.C. area) that contributed to the time it took to cure.


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