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Thirsty Bowl! Suggestions on how to finish?

Norm Marentette

Norm Marentette

Joined
Jun 2, 2021
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Location
Kingsville, ON
Old Willow tree cut 2 yrs ago, thought I would try and practice on turning the wood which was very punky in spot but great in others. Had some very large blanks that I made and thought I would at least try and see what I could do with them. Well I sharpened all tools, and finally decided on Watco Danish Oil for this project to get the natural feeling for this old tree probably 100 yrs old or more. After using half a gallon just to cover the bowl I stopped and at a point that I see that the oil still hasn't seeped into the smaller porous spots the the bowl even thought the grain is looking great. Any suggestions of what to do next? I am thinking I should let dry for a week or 2 first, possibly wipe-on poly?
 

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Agree with letting it sit for a couple of weeks, or more. I would let it sit until it mostly passes the smell test, indicating the DO has pretty well cured. The warmer you get the bowl (up to ~ 100F) the faster it will cure. Need to let all that oil/urethane cure out or it will smell forever if you top coat it.

Regardless what finish you use next, it has to “block” the wood cells. Shellac or lacquer are very good for this as they have a short open time. You don’t have to build a film - apply light coats where porous, let flash for 10-20 min, apply another light coat. You can then apply whatever top coat you want (shellac is less finicky with other finishes).

Applying regular viscosity poly is an option. Flood on, let soak 5 min or so, then wipe off. Being much higher viscosity it will not soak in as fast/deep. Multiple coats will eventually block the wood finers. If it gets too sticky just spray a bit of ms and it will wipe off.
 
I just finished an apple box with the same behavior. I had put on 5 coats of DO and it still looked like bare wood. After letting it cure for 2 weeks, I applied two coats of Minwax tung oil finish. It brought out the shine without looking too much like a plastic film. I then sanded lightly with 1000 grit and applied a layer of microcrystalline wax polish. Feels great in the hand and has a nice shine. Of course, this piece is not for food use.

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