Patrick

The store-bought ones are made from rosin and cheesecloth. You can get rosin from specialty suppliers like Woodworkers Supply and dissolve the stuff in alcohol, then work some of it into cheesecloth.

An alternative is to just pour a bit of varnish into cheesecloth and work it in. The varnish will eventually harden so it won't last very long. The rosin ones will last a long time if stored in a tightly capped container

 Jeff Jewitt

Homestead Finishing Products