finishing wet wood

Re: finishing wet wood

Brad Vietje

>After your BLO treatment, I'd let them dry slowly, which usually results in some raised grain, then remove the little fuzzies with a gray Scotch Bright pad (or some 600 abrasive), and then polish with a top coat of wax, etc...

I have not used BLO in this way, but have used Urethane Oil from Craft Supplies on wet wood. It helps avoid cracks because it slows down the drying, but doesn't penetrate like it would with dry wood. This is a great way to preserve the wrinkled texture that results once curly wood and/or burls dry.

Safe Spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT

Re: finishing wet wood

Dennis Taylor

>I will try it..I applied another coat today...will knock down the grain in a day, and try to wax...is Danish oil applied in the same manner?...and then waxed?...Dennis

Re: finishing wet wood

Brad Vietje

>Hey Dennis,

Seems you and I are alone on this one ...

I'm no expert on "Danish Oil" though I know this term can apply to a number of penetrating, polymerizing oils, often containing tung oil and boiled linseed oil. I use Urethane Oil a lot, while others use Watco, or other "Danish" oils. Russ Fairfield would have good information here, and if he doesn't chime in, you might want to contact him directly.

Generally, I only wax pieces I intend to buff up to a high shine. For most bowls and such, I prefer a softer sheen. I sometimes apply Urethane Oil to a wet piece that's turned to final thickness, which some folks say should never be done, but it does slow the drying, preventing checking along the way, and does allow the wood to shrink & shrivel with the finish in it, allowing me to exploit the texture that results.

Usually, I then wait until the piece is relatively dry (might be a few days to a few months), buff with a non-woven abrasive pad, or fine sandpaper to remove raised grain, then re-apply the U-O, wipe off excess, and dry again. The second and third applications cure faster than the first, as the cured oil tends to catalyze the polymerization of subsequent coats. When the piece has absorbed as much oil as I want, I usually buff it with the finest non-woven pad (gray, in my case), and then with a soft cloth. I usually like this sheen just fine. Another option is a Beal buff, with fine abrasive compounds, or even spinning on-lathe and applying a soft cloth or paper towel with a little tripoli buffing compound. For more shine, you can then wax, if desired, but glossy finishes have two drawbacks -- first, they usually require sanding to much finer grits (could be done between oil applications), and second, they are pretty easy to dull if the piece will be used or handled.

There's my 3 cents on the matter...

Safe spinning,

Brad Vietje

Thetford, VT