Finish suggestion

NOTW

Notw
Senior User
I am finishing up building a hand plane till and am starting to think about what finish to use. I would like to have something to wipe on wipe off that will leave a satin finish. My design has some tight spaces due to columns (should have prefinished, oh hindsight) so brushing or buffing would be difficult. I was thinking of using a Minwax wipe on poly but my experience with higher sheen brush on poly has been a more plastic look which i would prefer not to have. I looked into Odie oil but it needs to be buffed after application. Are there any other finishes I am not thinking of that are easy to apply that don't require buffing. Also, I don't have anyway to spray so I can't do a spray finish. Thanks for any suggestions.
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
I use an oil/varnish finish that I mix myself. Equal parts varnish (or polyurethane), Boiled Linseed Oil (or Tung oil), and mineral spirits (or paint thinner).

Application is easy: use any cheap brush to apply a liberal coat and keep the surface wet as the finish keeps soaking into the wood. When it looks like the finish is no longer being absorbed, wait about 5-10 minutes and start wiping it off w/ a soft cloth. I suggest having several cloths ready.

To get in the tight spaces you mentioned above, use a thin piece of wood w/ the end beveled (think popsicle stick) to push the cloth into those spaces.

As for the sheen you desire (satin), that can be determined by the varnish you use. This blend can dull down the final sheen, so you might want to try a gloss varnish to end up w/ a satin finish.
 

jfynyson

Jeremy
User
You can get spray cans of satin finishes but poly, lacquer & shellac would all be a film finish looking somewhat plasticy of course (per your concern above) unless you do not layer up too much (one to two coats max). Of course poly you'd need to sand between coats so that may not be a doable finish either.

Osmo or Rubio using at least 2 coats would give a little more sheen than flat or matte but not exactly satin in my opinion and would of course be difficult on a finished/assembled project where you can't easily buffer or even get your hands in there. So maybe just use a spray can of satin in the hard to reach areas and taping off the areas you can buff off and use Osmo, Rubio or Odies there ?
 

Roy G

Roy
Senior User
Bill, does your mixture tend to set up like plain tung oil? Do you just mix up enough for the job or can you store it for future use?

Roy G
 

ssmith

New User
Scott
I've also had success with Minwax Wipe on Poly-Satin. It's a very thin product and provided you minimize the number of coats it shouldn't look plasticy.

Though you didn't mention the wood species, on red oak I've applied very thin coats to the raw wood (sanded with 220) until the wood was sealed and started to appear glossy. That usually takes 2-3 coats. From there, repeatedly sand lightly with 400 grit to degloss followed by another thin coat (1-2 coats at most).

Good luck!
 

HITCH-

Hitch
Corporate Member
What about Waterlox?
It's extremely durable.
They used to use it on bowling alleys.
 

NOTW

Notw
Senior User
Waterlox isn't a bad idea, I have the Waterlox gloss on my dining room table and have had no issues with it. But it is twice as much as the Minwax
 

HITCH-

Hitch
Corporate Member
I like Waterlox a lot more after discovering the stop-loss bags.

StopLossBag, 4 Pack https://a.co/d/adbPqHz
 

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Roy G

Roy
Senior User
Hitch, I used the StopLoss bags and it does work but it is a tedious process to make sure all the air is out of the bag. Bloxygen does the job with a lot less effort. Cost vs. your time.

Roy G
 

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