another of my many questions—I’ve switched to PTO from pure tung oil as it cures quicker and looks good. But after a few coats of PTO, is it necessary or beneficial to put something over it—CA finish, Polycrylic, a Beall buff? This is for a display piece, not a salad bowl. I suspect there are many answers but I’m interested in all.
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Best finish, if any, over PTO
- Thread starter Alan Weinberg
- Start date
Roger Wiegand
Beta Tester
New acronym on me-- I thought that PTO stood for pure tung oil, but apparently not. I've also seen reference to polymerized tung oil, which I assume is tung oil that's been exposed to the air and has polymerized, as it is wont to do. Google mostly tells me about power take offs. I suppose paid time off is good for waiting for an oil finish to dry, the ever-popular parent-teacher organization has little relevance these days for us older folks.
You can put lots of different things on a cured (polymerized) tung oil finish that started as pure tung oil. Wax (Beale buff applied or otherwise) makes for a really nice feel, but won't add much protection. Any oil-based finish shoiuld work on it. I'd be less confident of water based finish compatibility. I think tung oil by itself can be lovely.
You can put lots of different things on a cured (polymerized) tung oil finish that started as pure tung oil. Wax (Beale buff applied or otherwise) makes for a really nice feel, but won't add much protection. Any oil-based finish shoiuld work on it. I'd be less confident of water based finish compatibility. I think tung oil by itself can be lovely.
sorry, will spell out in future—meant polymerized tung oil which is evidently heated and cures much quicker.
Not looking for protection over the PTO, just the best finish. Over pure tung, I’ve used polycrylic and both oil and water based stuff, also lacquer.
Wondering what others use and recommend.
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What I like to do is finish the finish. I use the grey scotchbrite between coats of finish.
After the last coat I’ll buff to remove any streaks.
Multiple coats of the finish will make the piece more and more glossy. I let it dry overnight between coats and rub each down as stated. Finish on the Bealle buffing station.
Best for what? The more descriptive of desired results, characteristics, etc the better the responses.
Best for looking good . . . matte or satin finish. Nice shine. Bright.
Jim McLain
Artist
I agree with Dave and Al the easiest is multiple coats of PTO but I have done CA over PTO with sucess.
With the wipe on/off finish method, the appearance of the raw wood has a large impact for what can be achieved. Sanding to hi grits (600-800), and buffing with super fine oil free steel wool can help significantly. Buffing with just wax can then increase the sheen more.
You might try regular poly thinned 1:1, and applied like oil - wipe on/off, unless the vapors are an issue. Flood on, keep wet for 30 min, wipe off. I find it provides a “fuller” finish vs oil, decreasing the # of coats required.
Water or oil based? I’ve used water over tung oil with some success. Easier to work with but wondering what you think.
My experience is water base poly is NOT easier to work with compared to oil base. More problems with brush marks, sanding between coats, etc . I am confused by your statement that you want a matte or satin finish and then say you want a nice shine. I would say that a tung oil-only finish is matte or satin. Beall buffing of that increases the shine quite nicely and it also feels good in your hands. Oil base poly on top of the tung oil would increase the shine further, with more of a feel of a distinct layer on top of the wood, that many customers prefer.
Oil based. I’ve used waterbased finishes quite a bit on both flat and turned work, and dont really care for the look. They have their place, but I wont use them on turnings any more. FYI waterbased should not be thinned more than 10% unless doing a sealer coat that will be sanded. WB has a short open time as well, so they cant be used for wipe/off finishes like oils and OB varnishes. They are best sprayed.
I’m a big fan of the “Walnut Oil/Carnauba Wax /Shellac Woodturning Finish“ from Doctor’s Woodshop. Leaves a beautiful shine that does not look like plastic, and the carnauba wax is hard enough that it gives decent protection.
FYI - an option for smaller pieces, less then ~ 6”x 6”, is Parfix 3408. It pprovides good chatoyance, so no oil is needed. It is water clear, so less color change, which could be good or bad, depending.
It is a long open time ca glue. It can be worked for ~45 sec, 2-3x as long as normal ca. Its a quick wipe on/off finish. I use it quite a bit for smaller stuff. Look up Mark Sillay Parfix on utube.
It is a long open time ca glue. It can be worked for ~45 sec, 2-3x as long as normal ca. Its a quick wipe on/off finish. I use it quite a bit for smaller stuff. Look up Mark Sillay Parfix on utube.
Funny coincidence—guy at our AAW did a demo just yesterday and that’s what he uses so I had looked it up during his demo—how do you apply it and how many coats? Thanks.
Demo by Mark Silay. I use a different compound than the Vonax to buff simply because I have it. Sanding/prep of the raw wood is very important. Mark has other utube vids on prep and application.