Finish + Coloring Questions

[Noah Barfield]

Hi all,

I'm having difficulty finding a fast, consistent finishing method for the items I make for the local farmers' market. Right now, I'm using plain (inexpensive) eastern sugar and silver maple to make bottle stoppers and salt / pepper grinders. With the bottle stoppers, I use art markers to apply the color and then spray 6 coats of Deft clear lacquer. Because the bottle stoppers are so small, the drying time is fairly minimal.

With the grinders, however, I'm coloring them with Transtint dye suspended in 70% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). The Deft spray over the color really provides the depth and "pop" that I want, but I'm finding that each coat takes 30-40 minutes to dry. With six coats, that requires a minimum of 3 hours not including sanding. Because I'm trying to do more production-mode turning, I'd like to cut that time down.

With both the bottle stoppers and the grinders, I've tried using Doctor's Finish oil / shellac mix. It produces a matte / semi-gloss finish, but makes the colors look dull and muddy. Definitely no "pop."

A few more details--My shop is in an unheated (but well insulated) single car garage near Seattle. I don't have $$$ or room for a nice air compressor, so I'm preferably hoping to find a finish that I can either spray on (rattle can) or wipe on.

Your expertise would be greatly appreciated!

Noah

[John Keeton]

Noah, you might get quicker dry times using DNA instead of the rubbing alcohol - and, cheaper, too, maybe. The deft lacquer is going to be one of the fastest drying finishes, but I am not sure it is a good choice for bottle stoppers. I don't make stoppers, but seems using lacquer on an object that is exposed to alcoholic drinks might create some problems. One could use General Finishes Woodturners Finish, a very quick drying poly finish. Or, you might consider Krylon Acrylic Spray, perhaps a little more durable finish with the alcoholic drink issue. I use the Matte spray, and it dries in less than 5 minutes.

[Dale Gillaspy]

I think the problem is actually where you live. Nothing ever dries up there, does it?

[Dave Mueller]

Noah,
Have you tried General Finishes Woodturners Finish (WTF). It is a water based urethane that dries in 1 - 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the coat or even faster with a hot air gun. You can apply it with a good foam brush or external mix airbrush. I use the Paasche Hobby airbrush (<$50 on Amazon) diluted 1/3 with water. The first coat raises the grain, so sand with 800 grit. The third coat can be sanded and buffed to a high gloss if desired. It is a very durable finish.