3.5 hrs. Start to Finish - a review of General WTF

[Rick Markham]

I'm glad you like it John, after I saw your copper handled pitcher, I ordered a quart. Hopefully it will show up soon, I'm excited now. Beautiful finish on a fantastic claro form!

[John Keeton]

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

Jon, I use Zinsser Sealcoat, which is their only dewaxed in a can so far as I know. It is a 2# cut. I would prefer a heavier cut, but am simply too lazy to mix my own! I have several ounces of flakes, and need to use them up, so perhaps I need to reconsider my philosophy. I wipe it on with a piece of paper shop towel while turning the spindle by hand. The first coat will soak in quickly. I usually apply another within a couple of minutes, and let it dry for 4-5 minutes before buffing with the 00. Then repeat and buff with 0000. Make sure to remove all traces of the steel wool (or, use synthetic) if using a water based finish over it as the fragments can rust under the finish.

As for applying the finish, in my case, the WTF was drying so fast I could do the top, and actually hold the piece to do the bottom, while blending the edge. For WOP, I often will use a tapered piece of wood in the hole for support.

Robert, I have some Behlens' sanding sealer, which is a similar product. To be honest, I don't like using those products simply because of the chemicals involved. They contain some of the worst of the worst, and shellac is pretty benign. It is even used in food and drug products. Shellac is also kind of a staple for me - I use it between coats of finish, I use it for color, and it can be tinted with dyes. No doubt, the sealers do work, however.

[Peter Elliott]

Amazed you like a 2lb cut... for me, 1lb is about tops.. maybe 1.5 mixed. I use it a lot in the flat world. Not on turnings, yet!

The spray can of dewax is about .5lb to .75lb cut and is fairly good for spraying projects. But still keep it light coats. You can respray a coat in about 5mins or less. 1st coat will raise the grain some (depending on wood) knock that down but the next layers will burn into each other fairly well. Dewax can be coated by almost all other types of finish.

If you looking to fill the grain on a natural wood - McFeelys sells a clear grain filler, which is rare and works well. For dyed projects, you can find some grain fillers that take dye fairly well. But you should test out a sample!

all good info here!

[Prashun Patel]

Poly makes a great pore filler on the lathe. Slop some on and wetsand it in. Slurry develops fast on the lathe. Let dry and sand it back. Then topcoat it with anything. Filling with shellac is a little different. I prefer to paint on a thick 3# cut on the lathe (not spinning), paying no mind to drips runs and sags. After dry, I wetsand it back with water or MS with the lathe on. It can take a couple apps for this. But if I'm doing a shellac topcoat, it's just simpler to stick wiht the same finish.


John, I'm surprised nobody's asked: what exactly IS WTF? Is it a standard varnish resin with some accellerator for drying? Is it an acrylic resin? A glue?

[Bernie Weishapl]

Prashun it is a General Finishes WoodTurners Finish. It is a water/oil hybrid finish. It is thin and goes on nicely like John said with a paper shop towel. It does not darken light woods and has no offensive smell to it. I have been using it for a couple of months now and love it.

[Prashun Patel]

Bernie-
Yep, I know it's a hybrid and it looks like it's a waterborne polyurethane finish. I'm going to try some.

[Tim Rinehart]

Wonderful review John and exquisite claro turning. I think we are always looking for that 'perfect' finish and one that doesn't challenge us or cause need for $$ equipment to carry it out. This stuff appears to have brought it down to the masses. Thanks for taking the time to document your experience...as said, this is what makes regular stops in here so valuable.
Looks like I found something to spend my gift certificate for Woodcraft on!
Thanks again!

[Roger Chandler]

I use the Zinzer seal coat as well...........it will pop the grain and seal the wood for a nice prep surface for the WTF.

[wes murphy]

Has anyone used the Behlens WTF in comparision? Just bought of that stuff ... by mistake.

[Jerry Wright]

The Behlens that I use is a shellac - alcohol finish. It is not water based.

[robert baccus]

John, i'm not knocking shellac at all. a good french polish is the prettiest gloss finish in the world. it is also a good sealer. if i have an issue with it it's the durability, slow drying, and slow pore filling i experience. it does pop color almost like oil and i like that. PS behlen changed their formula due to the california market and their newer SS and laq, really sucks. the co. informed me that the mohawk brand is made by the same co. and uses the old formulas. most of the cabinet guys have switched to mohawk because the sanding is like chalk. i also use their cat. laquer which has got to be twice as tough as their standard wood laquers. I find it's actually hard to wet sand if allowed to dry for several days--the co. says it keeps on crosslinking for a long time. regardless of the methods ect. that wal-nut bowl is flawless as usual.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Nice John! Beautiful piece and great finish!

It's very interesting to hear, and see, your experience with the GF turner's finish. I have used other General Finishes water based products on my turnings with the same awesome high sheen result (I like to level the finish with 1200 as well), but in a longer time frame. I have liked using shellac as a sealer also, although I tend to let it cure overnight before topping it with water based stuff. I get a little paranoid about traces of alcohol not completely gassing off, but maybe that won't effect the bond. Have you noticed any problems when using WB topcoats over shellac in such a short time frame? Also, I have been applying with an HVLP sprayer, but you really got a great result without the fuss of dragging out a spray gun (and the cleaning of it). I think I may have to give that product a try now!

- Hutch

[shaun gardner]

John,
How did you prevent streaks from forming in the finish. Everytime I have used WTF I get streaks. I seal with shellac and put 5 coats on as well. My sucess at buffing has been a little rough. The finish melts quick with Tripoli. I realloy like that piece you did. Nice Job!
shaun

[John Keeton]

Shaun, I had LOTS of streaks, but those were ignored until the sanding was done. My goal was to get as heavy a build as possible, and then level that finish and buff to a gloss. The process is the same for me regardless of finish, but some finishes seem to work better than others. The WTF was excellent in that regard.

On the subject of buffing, perhaps you are using too much speed and pressure. It is the heat that melts the finish. I buff somewhere between 750 - 1000rpm, and do so with moderate pressure - letting the compound do what it does. Don't stay too long in one spot. I buff quickly, but cover the entire form perhaps three times with each of the compounds, getting a little better gloss each pass.

[Don McClure]

Did you spray or brush your base coats of shellac?