Mineral oil and beeswax

[sawduster]

ok thanks I had missed that

I appreciate the persistence It was also suggested away from the board and may be exactly what I end up using . I'm a finishing noob but I am pretty good with a rattle-can :eusa_thin

 

[tryingtokeepmyfingers]

I appreciate the persistence It was also suggested away from the board and may be exactly what I end up using . I'm a finishing noob but I am pretty good with a rattle-can :eusa_thin

Brushing on Shellac is much easier then brushing on the water based poly not that the poly is that hard to do.... but I do want a HVLP Turbine system cause I would rather spray then brush

 

[ehpoole]

what would be a good example of a waterborne polycrylic ?

In the Minwax lineup it would be Polycrylic (which makes the question somewhat rhetorical ).

The primary advantage of Polycrylic (water-based) over Polyurethane (oil-based) is that the Polycrylic is a "water clear" coat while the traditional Polyurethane has a warmer "yellowed" coat. On many woods the yellowing gives the wood a warmer and more familiar feeling, but the water-clear is great for those cases where you absolutely need to preserve colors with a finish that will not shift those colors.

Safety wise they are both perfectly safe once cured as they will both protect the underlying wood with a thin, but very tough, plastic coating (which also works wonders at preventing splinters, even when damaged). The only toxic part of the oil-based finish is the volatile organics, which evaporate quickly in the initial hours, then slowly for another month or two as the finish completes its curing.

If you make your very first coat a brush-on finish, then the Poly (water or oil-based) will also penetrate a bit below the wood surface (how far depends upon how porous the wood is) and creates an even more durable finish since it hardens and binds the exterior wood. However, wipe-on Poly is often easier to work with and tends to be much more forgiving since each coat is so thin that any irregularities in your finishing on one coat are made up for on the next coat.

Minor damage, such as scratches, to the Poly's surface can be touched up with another wipe-on coat of the same product. It is harder (much harder) to repair major damage to a Poly-type finish than is true of some of the more traditional finishes. However, the modern Poly-type finish is considerably tougher and more durable than virtually all of the traditional finishes so it's less likely to need major repair unless subjected to considerable abuse (and by abuse I don't mean ordinary wear and tear but, rather, true abuse).

 

[Howard Acheson]

what would be a good example of a waterborne polycrylic ?

There are a number. Minwax Polycrylic and General Finishes PolyAcrylic are two that will work.