Your Favorite Finish? Why?

[Stew Denton]

I was working on restoring one of my hand saws yesterday, cleaning up and polishing the blade, cleaning up and polishing the saw nuts, and refinishing the handle.

The old handle had a finishing that was cracked and quite a bit of it had flaked off. I worked it over with sand paper, not doing a perfect job by any means, because it had some significant dents, wood chips missing, and other things that would require removing quite a bit of wood to fix, but I wanted to improve it a lot without worrying about perfection. All went well, until I went to clear spray paint, which I believe is a spray lacquer.

What happened is that at the rate I could get to the inside curved parts and then get to the flat parts, the first finished parts had begun to dry, and also overspray created a frosted finish in spots. It was fairly hot, and the spray dried very quickly.

I have used spray lacquer on knobs and totes on my planes with pretty good success, but not so the handle of the saw. It has been quite a while since I have restored another hand saw, and in the past brushed on regular varnish. My fix will be to wait a couple of weeks for the lacquer to dry well, then sand lightly and use lacquer with a brush.

Now for the question: I know some of you really like Shellac, and I have used lacquer, spar and urethane varnishs quite a bit. However, I am going to pick up some shellac when I pick up a small can of lacquer to give it a try.

What is your favorite type of finish for various uses and why? Why do you like shellac?

Stew

[Rich Riddle]

One that someone else applies because I don't have to do it......waterlox

[Reinis Kanders]

Shellac because it is simple. Dries fast no need to clean brushes and all that. I am not fussy about these things in general and I like that I can just open a can, put some on and be done in couple of minutes. I keep a rag and small chinese style brush in a sealed glass jar so that they do not dry out.

[Rich Riddle]

It's very simple to repair shellac or Waterlox.

[Adam Herman]

waterlox. I have used it one one very large project and plan to use it on everything i can in the future.

[Frederick Skelly]

Dewaxed Shellac. Easy to apply with a rag or a brush. Dries quickly. Looks good. Can be tinted. Can use a topcoat for durability, on (only) the parts that need it. Easy to clean up (or not, as Reinis mentioned).

What's not to like?

[Prashun Patel]

As I finish more and more I realize each has its place. It all depends on the look, the effort, the durability you want and also what equipment and space you have.

Shellac is great. For your handle I would prefer an oil varnish finish tho. Easiest to apply and greatest feel and easiest to repair.

[Robin Frierson]

Linseed oil, shellac and rubbed out with wax. Its easy to apply and looks great with most woods. If they is figure I add some transtint dye to bring that out. If its a top that gets hard use then go with oil varnish.

[Patrick Chase]

Depends on the application

I have a soft spot for Linseed or Tung oil because they're subtle and expose both the wood and its preparation. I'd probably choose one of those for most things if left to my own devices.

Dewaxed shellac for a glossy look

PU if I must (for example the lego trays and shelving I made for my son)

[Derek Cohen]

If it is a surface that can be reached with a buffing mop, the try Ubeaut Shellawax. This is set off by the heat of buffing, and dries to a clear and hard finish. Ubeaut also make a White Shellac, which can be thinned out of the bottle. This is dewaxed shellac, and dries very quickly on its own. It does not add any colour to the wood. Great Australian products that are available in the USA.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Wayne Lomman]

It's horses for courses. For tool handles I always use linseed oil. It develops character with use and feels good. I don't often use shellac these days. It is unsurpassed for appearance but time and lack of resistance to common use let's it down. High usage items I tend to use 2 pack polyurethane. Cheers

[Stanley Covington]

Thinned polyurethane. Durability first.

[Kees Heiden]

Linseed oil and wax. I apply more wax when needed, but that happens rarely.

[Kevin Womer]

For me shellac, reason is ease of use because I'm partial to the spray cans. It is also great for a sealer coat. I also like boiled linseed oil and Danish oil finish on cherry and walnut.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thinned polyurethane. Durability first.

Stan, can you please tell us how much you thin it, and why?
Thanks,
Fred