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Yorkshire grit vs Ack’s sanding paste

Joined
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I wonder has any turner.....used one finishing product.....period

Or just two products or? 3or4 or .....like me tried them all and have

found for me that every finish I try or use works well.....if...if..

if I leave a nice smooth piece of wood after final tool turning.

Sanding to me ...almost causes more work and more hours of effort than turning.....and i know in the long run will cost me more $ money.

and same with the cost of all the finishes i use and have used and will use.

FYI, I currently own
  • Acks polish and abrasive
  • Hampshire
  • Doctors
  • Yorkshire
  • Mahoneys
  • XXXShella
  • Howards
  • Watco natural, dark, medium, golden
  • Renaissance
  • Howards cutting board
  • orig mink oil
  • orig BEes wax
  • Minwax finishing psste
  • Briwax li!ing paste
  • Johnsons paste
  • Mequires Carnauba
  • Watco teak oil
  • Boiled liseed
  • ? sanding sealer it was a gallon and i put in another container
  • Eee ultra
Wow i had no idea I had this many diff finishing products.

Which is my fave????
Acks!!!!!​

Which do i use the most????
Which is the least costly?
Howards....​
 
Joined
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Bonney lake, Washington
I am amazed at all the diff products and things we use to finish
our turnings.....

I is impossible to do a pepsi test on all of the finishing profucts on the shelf at yer fav store

oh yes
FYI

the only one i ever had a prob with was

Hampire Sheen.....i think i left it out in the garage or something
happ to it and it turned into an unusable blob and
"The Walnut Shop" was no help...
 
Joined
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I did a video on sanding with a lubricant for folks new to the idea. It cuts down on fine dust.
View: https://youtu.be/EHJc9LLYDqw

I have used Acks and Yorkshire Grit but prefer the Yorkshire Grit as it is softer and easier to apply as previously mentioned. You can make sanding lubricant and sanding abrasive paste as shown here.
View: https://youtu.be/snu6IO2qckc
for folks that like to make things. It is a great club project but for one person I am not sure it is worth the time if you had rather be turning.
 
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Vicki I use both on the same piece, same with Ack's. I have the U Beaut products (EEE Ultrashine etc.) but as of yet I have not tried them.
 

Bill Boehme

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I wonder has any turner.....used one finishing product.....period

Or just two products or? 3or4 or .....like me tried them all and have

I am a one product guy. I usually use nitrocellulose lacquer (either Deft or pre-cat lacquer), but I sometimes use other finishes such as walnut oil depending upon the project. However, I don't layer different types of finish nor mix concoctions of various products in search of the perfect finish. I occasionally use polyurethane varnish or acrylic lacquer. Sometimes I leave the wood unfinished.
 
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Sanding sealer was invented for manufacturing to make the sanding easier. It is also softer than the finish and actually makes the finish less durable.
Interesting reply, Gerald. This is totally off topic for turning but I'm finishing oak stair treads and anticipating using sanding sealer. Now I'm hesitating. Admin, delete or move if needed.
 
Joined
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Sebastopol, California
Good thread, folks. I would like to know how or if using any of these (Yorkshire, Mike's homemade recipe, etc.) affects any finishes you might apply afterwards. I'm assuming that these are all used, in essence, as a final sanding step, not as a final finish. Doesn't the wax (especially) and the oil affect or limit what final finish you can use? Thanks in advance.
 
Joined
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Victoria, Texas
Good thread, folks. I would like to know how or if using any of these (Yorkshire, Mike's homemade recipe, etc.) affects any finishes you might apply afterwards. I'm assuming that these are all used, in essence, as a final sanding step, not as a final finish. Doesn't the wax (especially) and the oil affect or limit what final finish you can use? Thanks in advance.

It does add some depth to lighter woods. The majority of what I turn is birch. The Yorkshire grit darkens the piece slightly. Both of these pieces are birch, one has been sanded to 220 and one was sanded to 220 and followed up with Yorkshire grit. Neither have a final finish yet.

6DFFE0C6-C947-4019-B2E5-0094C31DA9BF.jpeg 72A9B1A3-0279-41E0-8C5F-1B2DAAC37D3D.jpeg

This will ultimately affect the final look of the piece if I was to put the same final finish to each piece.

I haven’t noticed any difference in regards to how a piece “accepts” a finish. Hopefully this helps.
 
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@Mark Jundanian I’ve used 100% tung oil, ob’s shine juice, walnut oil, danish oil, my favorite finish so far is Doctor’s woodshop microcrystal wax bowl finish. It gives the birch that I turn a very warm natural look. The two pictures below are finished with the Doctor’s woodshop finish.

BAEEF07C-F5BB-4FD1-9F14-D7F3FA6A26C0.jpeg 595371ED-3529-4739-B12E-81F578EC499A.jpeg


The picture below is of a bowl that I used Yorkshire grit on without a final finish. Same species of wood for all three.

E2AD886B-5A5E-423C-991B-88287E2E9874.jpeg

The Doctor’s finish is food safe.
 
Joined
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I picked up some Yorkshire Grit at the Woodworking Show this year. The vendor said to sand to 220, apply sanding sealer, then YG. If you're planning on adding a finish, use mineral spirits after the YG before the finish. I have been following this procedure on the red oak bowls I have been turning and getting great results. My finish has been "shine juice" followed by paste wax.
 
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You can make your own from beeswax,mineral oil, and diatomaceous earth. It is not that hard and works just as good.....much cheaper.
 
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Hmmm...... Well, just about every thing I make is intended for daily use. Gave up on bees wax and mineral oil many years ago. Just one humid day and it gets water spots on it. I have been using the Doctor's Woodshop bowl finish for a number of years. Not sure how he does it, but his 'microagregated' carnuba wax goes on and flows with no heat.

As for sanding, since my work is utility/daily use things, I sand to 400 and then use one of the grey synthetic steel wool pads to apply the finish. Supposedly grit scratches in the 600 or so range are invisible to the human eye. Sanding to 1000 grit on a utility piece is a waste of time to me, and the grey wool is supposed to be in the 600 grit range. Never tried these pastes, and don't really think I will, but who knows...

robo hippy
 
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I like to seal the wood with resisthane BEFORE using sanding paste. It does help level out the sealer coat. I do not use abrasive paste on most bowls, only on those things made for display, or attempting to show off to other wood turners (of which I don't really know any, so who am I trying to impress?) I just mostly give most of what I make away to neighbors and relatives.....whether they want them or not!
 
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I made my own abrasive paste largely via Mike Peace's recipe, a couple months ago and it works well.

I've also used Kustom Grit abrasive paste, all the way from Australia. It is a two step process and is an improvement.

It (they) can be used to skip sanding grits, to finish resin, or finish a finish. This can all be done on the lathe and buffing can optionally be skipped. Works great on wooden pens where I don't want to wet sand to a higher grit or use CA finish - but you can use it on the CA finish (ie instead of automotive products like PlastX).

Often on a bowl I will sand to 320 or 400 and/or sand w/ walnut oil, use an abrasive paste, and use Doctors oil/wax at the end.

I've found these pastes to be a useful tool as I navigate my way through the finishing insanity of all the many things out there.
 
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I've used it too, but I typically sand up to 3200 before I use the microfine paste. The other issue with it since it's white in color, if you have any imperfections at all in your surface, they'll fill with white paste and it's really hard to get it out. It's caught me a few times...
Ive had luck blasting out with compressed air immediately after rubbing it in.
 
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I have and continue to use EEE and Shellawax mostly for smaller stuff like pens and shaving brush handles. On bowls, I am working my way through a tub of Yorkshire Grit. I generally sand up to 600 grit (320 or 400 for the finer-grained woods like Bradford Pear), then apply the grit as a friction polish with a blue shop towel much like one does with a shellac or shine juice. Then wipe down with mineral spirits, and apply several coats of thinned TruOil gun-stock finish. I have never heard of any other turners using this finish, but I get beautiful results with it, and it is super-easy to apply.
 
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I myself found for my work the sanding paste works better without the sanding sealer. Whether Acks or Yorkshire grit the pieces are holding up very well for salads.
 
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Woodturners are like horse people .... ask 5 a question and you'll get 6 different answers! After reading through all the comments I think the consenses is "this works best for me". I build my own shellac for sealing and sometimes finishing. I've used EEE & shellawax, my own sanding paste and Ack's to name just a few. What it all boils down to for "me" is shellac and Ack's does what " I " want.
Great line of comments Ladies and Gentlemen. Another example of how our woodturning world is always willing to share experience and knowledge!
 
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I’m a relative beginner, but I’ve had good success using homemade polishing wax over a variety of hard finishes, from Tru-Oil to CA. The mix I’ve been using is the same as Rusty’s (above):

4 parts Mineral Oil
1 part Beeswax
1 part Diatomaceous Earth

Heat the wax and oil in a double boiler for safety- I use a metal paint can in a saucepan filled with water- until the wax melts. Stir in the Diatomaceous Earth and let cool. Alternatively you can heat the can directly with a hot air gun.
 
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I’m a relative beginner, but I’ve had good success using homemade polishing wax over a variety of hard finishes, from Tru-Oil to CA. The mix I’ve been using is the same as Rusty’s (above):

4 parts Mineral Oil
1 part Beeswax
1 part Diatomaceous Earth

Heat the wax and oil in a double boiler for safety- I use a metal paint can in a saucepan filled with water- until the wax melts. Stir in the Diatomaceous Earth and let cool. Alternatively you can heat the can directly with a hot air gun.
I may have to try this recipe after I run out of my almost $30 can of Yorkshire Grit (which I'm going through pretty quickly). And Michael, you are the only other turner I have heard of who says they use TruOil-maybe I'm not so crazy after all, lol!

Incidentally, I am also getting great results buffing cured TruOil on my new Beall system-that last carnauba wax buff really seals the deal, wow!
 
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… you are the only other turner I have heard of who says they use TruOil-maybe I'm not so crazy after all, lol!
Oh, there’s another one lurking about here…

I’m still very much a beginner. I’ve been experimenting with several finishes I use on other woodwork, including Tru-Oil, Danish Oil, and Miniwax Wipe-On Poly.
 
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I may have to try this recipe after I run out of my almost $30 can of Yorkshire Grit (which I'm going through pretty quickly). And Michael, you are the only other turner I have heard of who says they use TruOil-maybe I'm not so crazy after all, lol!

Incidentally, I am also getting great results buffing cured TruOil on my new Beall system-that last carnauba wax buff really seals the deal, wow!
Once you add the diatomaceous earth you have to keep stirring it until it starts to cool and harden or it will settle to the bottom.
 
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I have used EEE, Acks, Yorkshire grit and my DIY abrasive paste as demonstrated in my video that I referenced earlier. I did a somewhat non scientific comparison and could not really discern any difference in the final result. I do prefer the wetter formula in the Yorkshire grit. In the DIY formula you might need to add a bit more MO (by weight) than 1 part wax, 1 part DE and 4 parts MO. Perhaps 10% more MO. I only use abrasive paste on smaller objects that I finish on the lathe like ornaments and such. Larger items I generally use my Beall buff which gets me to a similar final finish. Maybe better since I am finishing the finish, typically Minwax Antique Oil.
 
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