Contributor
Well John that is a beautiful HF and finish. Love the form. I have been using the WTF now for about 3 months and love it. Like you I generally put 10 to 12 coats on. When it was cold I use one of my wife's old hair dryers. I use it on low heat and low fan. Even when cold and damp I can put 8 to 10 coats on in about 30 minutes. Thanks for posting your findings.
Bernie
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.
To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
Contributor
Beautiful work John. You've convinced me to give it a try. I typically avoid film finishes because I don't have the patience to follow the regimen. Shoot, just five minutes between coats...don't even need to take off the gloves in between. That's pretty darn good for a "grand piano" finish.
Member
Georgeous piece. did you apologize for the wood? bueatiful+++. appreciate the gloss test- you saved a lot of experimentation by us beginners. it really looks good and good gloss is hard to do sometimes. and nailed the shape as usual. thanks-----old forester
Contributor
You sure got a great finish on that! I will have to look into getting some of that. I like the WOP finish but hate the waiting game. Looks like this is the best of both worlds.
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No, it's not thin enough yet.
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[OP]
Contributor
Thanks for all the follow up views and comments! Let me emphasis - I was not able to get a flat, level finish that was capable of producing this look without sanding with 1200. So, figure that into the equation. Doesn't take long, but it is worth the added effort.Steve, I do hope you like the form....since it was copied straight out of the Schlumpf playbook!!Originally Posted by Steve Schlumpf
I appreciate the inspiration and all the help you have been over the last couple of years! As to the curly, I think it would do fine. I suspect the shellac will be part of the finishing schedule for WTF, as I like the added benefits. I typically use it as an undercoat for WOP, and it also works well to pop the curl.
Member
John,Thanks for all the follow up views and comments! Let me emphasis - I was not able to get a flat, level finish that was capable of producing this look without sanding with 1200. So, figure that into the equation. Doesn't take long, but it is worth the added effort.
From my gloss finishing experience I would say this is with any finish that I use. To get that flat level finish it has to be sanded. Really no question about it. I like your idea of using shellac under the finish as I think this will control the raising of the grain.
Alan
Member
Nice review John.
Did you use dewax shellac? Since dewax is safer to use as a base coat, I'm assuming you did. I have to try that with my next piece.
I tested this out a few weeks ago when I got samples for our DAMP meet up. I was lucky to meet the guy who actually designs most of the finishes for GF. Great guy and he sometimes pops into Woodcraft during demo days.
Just be cautioned when initially wiping onto bare wood that you wipe/apply to one area. If the product drips or runs to say the opposite side you're working it will leave a "lap" mark. Which is hard to sand away and flooding that area may not take away the lap mark. My suggestion is to work carefully on one side then move on. John wouldn't have seen this because of adding a shellac base coat.
My shop was about 65 and dry - It took well over and hour to dry each wipe on coat (thoroughly dry so I could sand). It's about 60% water so of course temps will play a big role. I think you would be safe letting it harden over night in a dry/warm area for final buffing after applying all your coats.
It buffs great, I mean really great if you are looking for a gloss finish. It is a product that does need to be either buffed or finished sanded with a grit over 1000 (my opinion).
Going to try it again with Johns idea of a shellac base (I use dewax) and see if this weeks temps make a big difference in time.
John, that is a great piece of work!
[OP]
Contributor
Peter, I never use anything but dewaxed shellac. That goes back to flat work days. Using the shellac was part of the "experiment" here, in that the previous piece I finished with the WTF was done without using shellac. I wanted to see how it would perform over the shellac. It did great, and that will be the standard schedule with future pieces.
I do think I had optimal weather conditions for the piece I did - perfect for drying.
The viscosity of WTF is thin, and it is prone to run. I will say this about "lap marks" - the problem with film finishes is usually a "witness line" when one sands through the coats. That is one of the advantages of lacquer and shellac in that they "burn in" to the previous coat. I had a couple of run marks on this piece and sanded them level without any evidence of a witness line from previous coats - impressive!
I look forward to hearing from some of you regarding your experiences with using this finish. Hopefully, I will not have led you astray!
Member
Was pretty sure you used dewaxed shellac. Yes, everyone should really give this stuff a try. I know I am going to use it for several pieces I have to finish this week.
Contributor
John and Gang, threads like this one make the Creek a regular stop for me on my morning Internet rounds. Thanks for posting it. I have been slowly drifting toward polyurethanes because of the difficulites with getting lacquer to work well in my cold, damp shop, with generally good results. I'll try the woodturner's finish, too, thanks to your post.
WOP doesn't always "wipe on" does it? Some days I use a foam brush, and others the temperature dictates a paper towel inside of an old piece of cotton, like a french polish bundle. In the end, it comes down to the final wet-sanding and buffing, I suppose.
You are right that a high gloss finish looks strange if the wood grain isn't completely filled. In the past, I've burnished in the shellac base coats with good success then steel wooled it, and that fills to some degree. Recently, I tried putting down a generous coat of boiled linseed oil, then rubbing the vessel with fine sawdust with the lathe turning slowly, and was surprised how well that closed things up. The subsequent shellac coats tied it all together.
Have you ever used a pore filler? I've heard about it and seen it in demonstrations, but never tried it on a bowl.
Russell Neyman.
Writer - Woodworker - Historian
Instructor: The Woodturning Experience
Puget Sound, Washington State
"Outside of a dog, there's nothing better than a good book; inside of a dog it's too dark to read."
[OP]
Contributor
Russell, I frequently wet sand the BLO and seal with shellac for the very reasons you do! However, it does darken the piece and sometimes I avoid the BLO for that reason. I also apply the shellac while on the lathe, so it sounds like we follow similar schedules on that. Apply 2-3 coats, buff with 00 steel wool on low speed, apply another couple coats, buff with 0000, and then burnish at high speed with a piece of paper towel. At that point, one usually has a very nice looking base.
I have not used an official "grain filler" on a lathe piece, but I have taken Titebond filler, mixed in some dye, and used that as a paste on a mahogany finial piece I turned on a commission. It worked fairly well after being sanded back. I followed with some of the same dye, and was able to replicate the look of old mahogany.
I like experimenting with new finishing techniques - but, no matter what, I HATE sanding!!Nothing about any of this has changed that! Fortunately, the WTF sands easily and levels quickly.
Member
John,
Fantastic wood, form and a flawless finish.
Did you wipe on the finish or spray?
I was sad because I had no shoes,
Then I saw a man who had no feet
================================
If you do today what no one else will,
You'll do tomorrow what no one else can
Member
Hi John,
couple quick questions... do you use dewaxed shellac from a spray can or is there a version that is dewaxed in liquid form? Also, when you apply the first 2-3 coats and buff - is this buffing while the shellac is still wet or after it cures (which is pretty darn fast). I assume this buffing of the base is while the shellac is dry? I have had some orange peeling on my shellac recently but figure it is casued by applying too heavy a coat.
Lastly, for a form like this I would apply WTF or WOP off the lathe with the piece inverted on a "stick" in the hole. Is this how you are doing this is there a magic way to hold a piece while applying the finish?
Thanks
Jon
Member
If what you are using works go for it. a good heavy bodied SS(mohawk is my choice) wiped or brushed (2 coats) on will fill pores on any wood and sands like talcum powder. sanding to bare wood is 2 minutes usually. i use 2 coats straight from the can(milky & much faster drying tha shellac) or 3-5 if sprayed and sanded. it seals(no more soaking in) and forget whiskers. then apply your finish coats. grain pores are simply not a problem. there are many useless sanding sealers out there--this is the only one i recommend. i probably use 3-4 gallons/year. it is very thick and if sprayed/thinned it goes a long way. My friend Dennis Ford has commented on it here in the past also.--------------------old forester
Member
PS the problem refered to above is cured by using retarder( a slow drying thinner) which is almost necessary using laquer in anything but bluebird weather. it is available in spraycans usually labeled laq. or finish leveler.-----old forester
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