Finish for light woods

[Simoli]

I just finished a boxwood bowl. My usual choise is blo or tung oil. This one I finished with tung oil since it darkens the wood less than blo (my observation). I still would like some type of finish that keeps the wood even lighter. Any suggestions on something that can be rubbed on? I thought about poly but so far heave never had success in getting a nice finish.

 

[Mark Mandell]

"Wipe-on" is going to be tough. The new acrylic waterbornes are water-white and will not darken, but they're best applied with spray application. With care, they can be hand applied with nylon and foam brushes, and some that I use (Target Ultra, Fuhr 355) have 100% burn-in when used properly for very good build. Being waterborne, they will tend to raise grain requiring some extra sanding of the sealer application. Freshly mixed dewaxed shellac can prevent the grain raising, but barrier coating may be more finishing "effort" than you're looking to be involved with. Stay away from paint store and Borg stuff like Poly-crylic as their leveling is poor and the light refraction properties of their films are slurred into the blue range.

You might get some more detailed suggestions by posting on Jeff Jewitt's finishing Forum at the link

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/

m

 

[john lucas]

I've had good success with the minwax wipe on poly. I use it straight from the can. I try to apply thin layers and sand lightly with 600 grit in between layers. About 3 or 4 layers looks nice.

 

[Richard Baker]

Jim,
You could wipe on a couple coats of lacquer-type sanding sealer. Then sand lightly with 400 or 0000 steel wool and try your hand at "rattle-can" spray lacquer. It can be a little tricky to spray a "full wet coat" without getting runs, but two or three coats can yield a pretty nice glossy finish.

 

[Steve Worcester]

You may be able to use a few coats of a water white lacquer. Wipe on will yield thinner coats and more work between coats though