what Finish

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avbill

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I just finished two different bowls. 1st is a 12" redwood bowl. the 2nd, is carb bowl 6 inches. these are the first two bowls i have ever turned.

Never finished a bowl yet i'm assuming its like a pen finish. I'm first thinking of putting BOL on both. I'm want the grain patterns to really show. Then putting a tongue oil on the bowls .

comments
 
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polymerized oils is likely the best choice if they are going to see any use. If not then you can use varnish. The polymerized oils will dry very fast and most often are linseed type. The one I currently use is food safe and all that.
 
There are a wide variety of finishes that you can experiment with for bowls. A couple of the easier ones that I like are:

Film Finish: Best on wood with closed / filled grain. Apply BLO lightly and work it into the wood while spinning to pop the grain. Next apply as many coats of wipe on poly as you want. If you don't want high gloss on the finished piece, use high gloss for any intermediary coats and finish with a coat or two of satin or semi-gloss.

Utility Finish: Make your own or buy an oil / wax mixture. Apply and buff. Mineral oil or walnut oil are commonly used. Don't use finishing oils with metallic drying agents on anything that will touch food (or children).

You can also buy "salad bowl finish", but they are mostly thinned varnish / poly.

Other alternatives: There a a huge variety of commercial and homebrew finishing products / schedules you can play around with. Some are a huge amount of work but can produce amazing results (like giving thin turned NIP items a translucent look, or gallery quality flawless gloss lacquer finishes).

Experiment and have fun.

Ed
 
I would use tung oil - the first application would be thinned with turpentine 1:1 to penetrate the wood. Then the second (and subsequent, if desired) coat full strength. Buff with either steel wool or a white Scotch Brite pad between applications. Apply the oil, burnish it in, let it sit for a hour or so, and then wipe off the excess oil with a paper towel. Two applications will produce a nice surface, but you may want to reapply oil every few months to restore the appearance.
 
Tung oil finish is very popular on bowls and other utility items. Even though it's not tung oil at all, it does a great job on popping grain. Remember that all finish, once cured, are food safe.
 
Isn't the redwood getting really dark from the oil? BLO on redwood will almost go black in a few years. I'm also not one for gloss or heavy finishes on bowls. I like just a little finish, always satin. I use just enough poly on them for an even sheen if they are going to be used. Some of my "art" bowls will just get a couple of coats of artist fixative on them because they are just for sitting on the shelf and looking pretty. Natural edge bowls, or bowls with bark, really look bad with a heavy film finish on them. On those I use a thin satin wipe on poly, and I wipe off the oil after just a couple of minutes. I used compressed air to blow the oil off the bark, then dab with a cloth to remove the rest. I really don't want any sheen at all on the bark. Sorry, don't know what a carb bowl is?
 
Richard Raffan (Fine Woodworking contributor) uses a BLO and Beeswax finish on his bowls. BLO first then he rubs a stick of beeswax onto the bowl and buffs it off. If the bowl is going to be used you have to refresh frequently.

Other choices are wipe-on varnish or spray lacquer depending on the look you are going for and final use.

I have done a CA finish on a 6" bowl. Come out pretty good if thats the look you want. Have not tried anything bigger yet.
 
A local bowl maker turned me on to Minwax Antique Oil Finish. I have been using it with good success. The more applications the more glossy the finish. I have been applying 6-7 coats then buffing for a nice semi-gloss finish.
 
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