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

[John Keeton]

Don, I wipe them on with a piece of paper shop towel while turning the spindle by hand. After 2-3 coats, I will turn on the lathe and spin the piece slowly to buff the finish down with steel wool - synthetic would be preferred with the WTF finish, but I don't have any! Just make sure to remove all fragments to avoid a rust situation. Then apply 2-3 coats again and repeat. It drys in a matter of minutes.

[phil harold]

John,
Thanks for the review
How well does it work without the shellac?
How well does it stand up in a utility use bowl?

[Mike Cruz]

This is pretty funny, I just spent 5 minutes yesterday trying to find this thread...guess I'm not the only one.

[phil harold]

This is pretty funny, I just spent 5 minutes yesterday trying to find this thread...guess I'm not the only one.

I was actually looking for an older review but this one seems relevant

[Jerry Rhoads]

Thanks John, that was a great reveiw. Guess I better get that pint can out that I have and have another go at it.

[John Keeton]

John,
Thanks for the review
How well does it work without the shellac?
How well does it stand up in a utility use bowl?

Phil, I have used it with and without the shellac. Without just means the first coat really soaks in and takes a little longer to dry - 20 minutes in my case. I don't do many bowls, and have gone exclusively to walnut oil on the ones I do. I guess my tastes have changed and I don't care for a gloss finish on a utility bowl - though I did when I first started turning.

[robert raess]

What is General WTF?

[John Keeton]

Robert, it is General Finishes WoodTurners Finish - a hybrid water and oil urethane finish that is very quick drying. Here is a link - http://www.generalfinishes.com/retai...turners-finish

[Mike Cruz]

General is the brand name, and WTF stands for WoodTurner's Finish.

[Rick Markham]

Great looking piece John and I love the finish. I think your use of shellac helped a lot to build the finish up quicker. I have used a pint of WTF and have generally been pleased. I would be curious to know if you have every used Minwax water based poly. It is 1/2 the price of WTF and I get similar results with the Minwax versus the WTF.

Greg, the Minwax WOP is what I use on my gloss pieces, it works really well for me, but it takes a LONG time to build up enough coats to get the nice watery gloss finish. It's worth the effort, but since John posted this, I'm hoping that I can speed up that process with the WTF. I've used the Minwax WOP because it is what is locally available to me. I've gone through probably 5 cans of that stuff, it's good until it gets towards the bottom of the can, then if you don't use it fast enough it starts to get kinda wonky (due to being exposed to the air in the can)

[Mike Cruz]

Rick, I'm not sure what JK did, but the can of WTF states that you should wait 5-7 days to buff... Granted, application is VERY quick!

[Rick Markham]

I usually wait a week or so before I buff the WOP finish too. My biggest issue with the minwax WOP is the drying time. Yes, it is "dry enough" to put a second coat on in 30 mins, however, the catch is that really only works once. Once you have more than a couple layers built up, you HAVE to wait at least 4 to 6 hours for the layers to fully dry. If you don't, then you are going to be sanding all of those off and starting over. (That's fine when you are filling the pores) but once you start floating the layers on top of each other to get the perfect smooth finish, you better wait. Otherwise you will be sanding and reworking. From what I've seen, this is much quicker for that purpose. I also really like finishing my gloss pieces on the lathe, but that ties up the machine, and it can take me a week to finish a piece (how I like it). That's not including the buffing.

So the WTF looks like it might be an excellent answer, I just need to go turn something and try it. Today might be a good day, I'm watching "tree people" cut down two giant trees in my yard. I keep expecting to see you pop around the HUMONGOUS pile of trunk, limbs and branches. I just wish it wasn't all live oak, and "Rain tree" which is basically a giant weed from what I can tell LOL

[John Keeton]

Rick, I'm not sure what JK did, but the can of WTF states that you should wait 5-7 days to buff... Granted, application is VERY quick!

Hmmmm.....I was sure the can said 5-7 minutes, 'cause that is about how long I waited!! Seemed to do quite well, actually.

[Mike Cruz]

Rick, look outside. See me?! I'm waving to you. Hey, Rick. Oh well, I guess I'll just go home...

Sounds to me like you don't necessarily need a finish that dries faster, you NEED A SECOND LATHE! Call it a "Finishing Lathe"... "Honey, if I had a finishing lathe, I could crank these things out SO much faster, make a ton more money, and pay for the thing in NO time!"

[Rick Markham]

Rick, look outside. See me?! I'm waving to you. Hey, Rick. Oh well, I guess I'll just go home...

Sounds to me like you don't necessarily need a finish that dries faster, you NEED A SECOND LATHE! Call it a "Finishing Lathe"... "Honey, if I had a finishing lathe, I could crank these things out SO much faster, make a ton more money, and pay for the thing in NO time!"

I've always valued your professional opinion! I like the way you think, that's why your my friend! Wait until "the old lady" gets a load of this...