A couple finishing questions

Hey guys, I have a couple of questions for you about finishes.

First a little background.
So far, most of my projects have been pine finished with stain and/or polyurethane, which has worked well for me so far. I saw the thread about Wipe on Poly and was wondering if you're using poly from the can as a wipe on, how much would it need to be thinned, and with what? Mineral spirits?

The other thing is, today I had to borrow my buddy's planer so I could run some rough sawn red oak and some old reclaimed heart pine I had laying around. Planing the oak got me to thinking about finishing it. I've heard people talk about filling the pores for a smooth finish. What kind of filler would I need to use?

Finishing is something I would really like to get better at, so any advice would be greatly appreciated :)

To convert varnish (poly is a type of varnish) to a wipe-on consistency you should mix it approximately 50% mineral spirits 50% varnish. The store bought brands tend to have more mineral spirits (MS) than varnish some as much as 80% MS and 20% varnish. They do that for profit, not for ease of application. 50/50 is about right; sometimes a bit more depending on the varnish.

To properly apply wipe-on varnish you want a rag or shop towel very damp with thew wipe-on varnish and wipe it on like the kid wipes the table at the fast food joint just before you sit down. All you want is a damp surface. A table top should not take more than a few minutes to wipe-on. The wipe-on will be dry to the touch in less than an hour (again depending on the varnish used). Three coats per night no sanding required between coats. Then then next night lightly sand with 220 or 320 and 3 more coats. Each wipe-on session of 3 wipe-on coats is about the same build as one properly applied brush on coat; so 3 brush on equals 9 or more wipe on coats...

What Scott said ... with one exception ... I like to flood the surface with the first application ... let it soak into the pores for a few minutes ... then wipe off as much as possible. This does have one drawback, that being the open pored wood like Oak will "bleed" for a few hours while the varnish begins the cure, which, if not wiped back periodically, will form "scabs" on the surface that can be difficult to remove. Flooding the first coat does have the advantage of putting more resins down into the open pores, displacing air that might otherwise be trapped in there, but only if the varnish is very thin. I like to use Waterlox, and I generally thin the first few coats about 60%-70% VM&P Naptha to 30&-40% Waterlox.

If you have neither the time, nor patience to wait around and wipe back the "bleed", Scott's method will work just fine ... it just might take a few more coats to get the finish done.

Everything about finishing has logic and reason behind it ... once you learn the effects of your various options, you will have come a long way towards being a competent finisher.

Just to throw this out there. If you don't want to mess with mixing and some of the hassle that comes with Waterlox then consider Sam Maloof Poly/Oil mix. It really is the easiest finish I have ever used. Put it on a crib and changing table. Used and abused and still looks like new for 3 years so far. I have stuck to the basics out of a can so listen to Scott and Bob first and foremost. Scott and Bob are very seasoned finishers and always provide great advise/feedback. If you want a rookie finish that has turned out very well on every project the the SM stuff works well. If you want durability then consider another finish like Waterlox. You can see I have been actively posting about my project and while Waterlox pops the grain like no other finish and is supposed to be durable, it comes with its challenges for rookies like me.

Thanks gentlemen!