Warren White
Member
I really like a high gloss finish on things I turn. I know that there are others who find such finishes 'plastic' looking, but I like shiny stuff.
I have tried a lot of different finishes on bowls. I recently finished a Redwood bowl with pure tung oil and liked the result. Before that, I have used Deft 'rattle can' gloss and was generally happy with the result (other than the occasional orange peel from bad technique).
I have read about Polymerized Tung Oil and thought I would give it a try. I ordered a quart from Sutherland Welles. At $44.13 per quart, plus $16.71 shipping, it was a bit pricey. It turns out a little of this stuff goes a long way, so I could have ordered a pint, but it is what it is.
The bowl was sanded to 400 although I should have spent more time on a couple of end grain issues. I went back and forth through the grits several times before I applied the finish.
It was a bit of a learning curve, but I think I have done all right. The can instructs that application should be with "a natural bristle brush or a clean rag". Later, I discovered their web site defines a rag as "Scott Blue Paper Towels" which I had missed. I first tried cotton cloths, but I found I was taking too much off when I followed their instructions to wait 5 to 10 minutes and remove the excess. I went to paper towels for application and removal (not Scott Blue, but quality paper towels) and the result was much better.
I have pictures of the Maple bowl I finished. The picture was taken with my phone, so it isn't the best quality, but I hope it does the finish credit. I purposely included a glimpse of the end grain issue, so you can see my procedure isn't perfect. I am constantly learning, yet never quite there.
I like how it turned out. Your comments, and your suggestions are most welcome. I hope this proves useful to someone.
I have tried a lot of different finishes on bowls. I recently finished a Redwood bowl with pure tung oil and liked the result. Before that, I have used Deft 'rattle can' gloss and was generally happy with the result (other than the occasional orange peel from bad technique).
I have read about Polymerized Tung Oil and thought I would give it a try. I ordered a quart from Sutherland Welles. At $44.13 per quart, plus $16.71 shipping, it was a bit pricey. It turns out a little of this stuff goes a long way, so I could have ordered a pint, but it is what it is.
The bowl was sanded to 400 although I should have spent more time on a couple of end grain issues. I went back and forth through the grits several times before I applied the finish.
It was a bit of a learning curve, but I think I have done all right. The can instructs that application should be with "a natural bristle brush or a clean rag". Later, I discovered their web site defines a rag as "Scott Blue Paper Towels" which I had missed. I first tried cotton cloths, but I found I was taking too much off when I followed their instructions to wait 5 to 10 minutes and remove the excess. I went to paper towels for application and removal (not Scott Blue, but quality paper towels) and the result was much better.
I have pictures of the Maple bowl I finished. The picture was taken with my phone, so it isn't the best quality, but I hope it does the finish credit. I purposely included a glimpse of the end grain issue, so you can see my procedure isn't perfect. I am constantly learning, yet never quite there.
I like how it turned out. Your comments, and your suggestions are most welcome. I hope this proves useful to someone.