Am I the only one?

[Rusty Eads]

Am I the only one out there who's finishing schedule consists of two maybe three coats of polyurethane, the kind you by at wallyworld, applied with a plain old rag? Everywhere I look people are finishing their projects with 2 coats of this after 5 coats of that finishing off with spraying 20 coats of some concoction that I feel I might need a chemistry degree to create. I know that I am not producing musuem quality projects here but the projects that I have made about ten years ago are still around. Am I really missing something here? I don't have the unlimited funds to buy all the many different finishes I see thrown around here. Maybe it is because I just don't have experience with anything but the stuff you can get cheap at the box stores. I am not ranting about all the finishes out there, I know mine pale to comparison, I just wanted to see how many other woodworkers out there have yet to step out into the crazy world of finishes.

[Chris Fournier]

You are doing just fine and no doubt producing really nice looking pieces. Us purists who scrape off Lac beetles, extract resins from southern yellow pine and have lost family members making nitrocellulose lacquer just find you to be distastefully efficient. We sneer in your direction, yet somehow envy your uncomplicated and fulfilling craft. Keep it up!

[glenn bradley]

If it works for you, don't change just because someone else does it differently. If it is not working for you, branch out.

P.s. Poly is great for floors . . .

[Kevin McCluney]

Count me as another finisher who likes to keep it simple. I've been happy (and more importantly, my wife's been happy) with the results I've obtained over the years using three coats of polyurethane over stain (light sanding as needed between coats). I did change from oil-based poly to water-based when I went from brushing to a HVLP sprayer. I've tried a few water-based polyurethanes and so far only Varathane's water-based poly has adhered properly to everythiing I've sprayed it on (oil-based stains, Watco Danish oil, water-based stains, and over a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions). But like the man said, stick with what works for you.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

In the end, it only matters if you have a method that works for you and you are happy with the results.

[Seth Dolcourt]

I started off using Minwax Wipe On poly. Works great, looks great. So why change?

Sometimes, you just gotta play with your food (in complete defiance of what good manners your mother taught you.) Add a few new tricks to your personal bag of woodworking skills, and your projects will take a step to the next level.

Here is an example of a project that broke my personal reluctance to using paint (gasp!) and color other than what Mother Nature used to make maple look like maple. (horrors!) I didn't do the color work, a good buddy of mine did.

finish_3.jpg


But the polishing steps were identical to creating high-gloss lacquer using automotive abrasives. And I learned to use lacquer after feeling that oil based poly-u looked just O.K., and always seemed to make the wood appear as too yellow. Polishing was also an easy next-step from poly-u applied with a rag, and the luster that comes with polishing will trounce a from-the-can finish.

So...play with your food.

[Jim Rimmer]

You are NOT the only one. I have branched out trying rattle can shellac on small projects but wipe on poly certainly gives me a good finish that last a long time.

[Prashun Patel]

My go-to finish is wipe-on varnish too. It's just so easy and durable and the best of all worlds.

However, I do think it pays to learn the other techniques (spraying, lacquer, grain filling, etc). It adds versatility and options and sometimes a lot of speed to finishing.

If you ever want to venture outside the box, I'd experiment with:

1) using dyes
2) mixing and padding on yr own shellac

These two things really opened up my world.

[Sam Hamory]

I notice that the "scientists" that are usually here on this forum aren't answering your inquiry.

I agree that most "finishers" make a big deal out of finishing, but I personally have had a 25+ years career in cabinetmaking without any kind of science degree.

Keep it simple. Try to stick to one or two lines of finishes. I prefer waterbased.

Use shellac seal coat from a can.

Sand between coats.

It's actually very simple. I personally think that finishers make it sound hard for two reasons. Ego and the idea that if you dont' buy their way or their product it won't work for you. I trully dislike that attitude, all of the science of these products has been figured out, now all you have to do is open the right can. Finishing really is easy.

[Larry Fox]

Sometimes, you just gotta play with your food (in complete defiance of what good manners your mother taught you.) Add a few new tricks to your personal bag of woodworking skills, and your projects will take a step to the next level.

+1.

I also think it is important to experiment a bit in order to recognize when you are in trouble and to be able to get yourself out of trouble when it happens (notice I didn't say if ...but when).

It can get very complicated and involve many steps - any one of which could cause you to blow up your shop but it doesn't need to be that way to achieve great results. Experimenting, in addition to being fun, will allow you to introduce some variety as well. Do you always use the same type of wood? Same design? Same joinery? Same techniques? If not, why always the same finish.

[Pete McMahon]

Sam,
You make a couple of interesting points. To the OP, the KISS method is always a good approach. Where it gets complicated is some feel they MUST mix various finishes or they're doing something wrong. Nothing could be further from the truth. Open the can and go to work. Many here finish at best a couple of projects a year and will swear by their mixing methods. That's fine.

However a really good finisher can and many times does make the difference between an OK job and a spectacular one. Look at the drum posted here. That wasn't done by a rookie, that took experience and talent. Would you be able to perfectly reproduce that?

Finishing is easy when you learn how. So is hand cutting dovetails and carving ball and claw feet. I know many that can do it while having a conversation with you. I know it's more difficult than just opening a can but not to them.

I've dealt with many cabinet makers with 25 plus years experience and their finishes are, at best, the absolute study in mediocrity. It's their egos that get in the way when they're told it could actually look better. The rhetorical fist starts pounding "I've always done it like this !!!!"

Have you ever done a real French polish on a fine piece of furniture? It's really simple.

[Prashun Patel]

"Many here finish at best a couple of projects a year and will swear by their mixing methods"

I'm a person who does only a few projects a year; I'm a hobbyist. I don't swear by my methods, but I do share what has worked for me. I post a lot on the finishing forum - not because I think I'm better than the pros, but I think I might be able to empathize with the fear some of the inquirers might be feeling. My philosophy is if *I* can do it, anyone can. I share what I experience, and try to advise people to take it for what it's worth - not advice from a professional.

[Jim Rimmer]

My go-to finish is wipe-on varnish too. It's just so easy and durable and the best of all worlds.

However, I do think it pays to learn the other techniques (spraying, lacquer, grain filling, etc). It adds versatility and options and sometimes a lot of speed to finishing.

If you ever want to venture outside the box, I'd experiment with:

1) using dyes
2) mixing and padding on yr own shellac

These two things really opened up my world.

Those are my next steps - experimenting with dyes and I am considering and HVLP spray unit. I have a couple of finishes I am very comfortable with but I like learning new techniques.

[Pete McMahon]

[QUOTE=Prashun Patel;1774999]"Many here finish at best a couple of projects a year and will swear by their mixing methods


Prashun,
You're splitting hairs. Let's put it this way: many only finish a few projects a year and advocate their methods as working well for them. The point I was making is finishing can be as easy as opening a can and following the directions. Of course it can then be said that the finish directions say not to thin when thinning it makes it that much easier. The caution against thinning is due to VOC regulations.

How many questions appear here asking about mixing tung and poly and BLO and motor oil and olive oil and chocolate milk shakes etc? It's these myths that make finishing confusing to newbies. Hell I always thought the Maloof concoction was absolutely silly from a chemical standpoint but many swear, I mean advocate it's use. Different strokes. KISS.

The other point I wanted to make is a talented finisher will keep it simple yet be able to do some pretty impressive work at the same time. Have you ever watched someone who is really good at something and how effortless they make it seem?

You're right, you do post a lot. 4671 and counting.

[Bob Wingard]

Charles Neil's Blotch Control (when appropriate) ... dye and or stain as needed ... Waterlox or Campbell Pre-Cat Lacquer, depending on desired effect and time constraints. All but the lacquer applied with old tee shirts. I did invest in some HVLP spray equipment, but mainly because a good friend GAVE me about 50 gallons of the Campbell products, making it VERY cost effective.