The more I read.... the more confused I get. Water based finishes

[Ed Lang]

A little background.. I make, toys, cutting boards, frames, bowls and boxes both turned and other. I am using Watco danish oil, mineral oil, wipe on poly, shellac and BLO. I would like to move more to water based finishes due to fumes and cleanup. If this is not a good idea, let me know that too.

I would like to hear what you are using for a finish, why, and how you apply it. I am trying to sort all of this out.

I do not have spray equipment at this time, but I would be willing to buy it. I do have compressed air (dry) in the shop and plenty of it.

[Jim Becker]

Ed, there is no one best finish, especially with the variety of things you make. I still use oil/varnish mixtures on turnings because they bring out what I want in many woods as well as provide a finish that buffs out wonderfully. I use BLO on most flat projects..because it does the same for the figure...and then will often use de-waxed shellac as a seal coat. Frankly, the only time I use the water borne products is when I spray a film finish on furniture and that's usually after the BLO and shellac and any necessary or desired coloration. These first steps are often important as virtually all water borne finishes will seem a little bland on the wood by themselves. Oil and shellac tend to help mitigate that a little. Highly figured wood demands these steps if you are going to use a water borne finish over top.

For example, when I use walnut, the water borne acrylic makes for a very nice surface, but the piece will appear very washed out. An application of oil sealed with de-waxed shellac makes the piece look great...not as good as it potentially does with shellac or varnish as the top coat, but darn good.

BLO is easy to clean up after and while it has a smell, it's not horrible. Shellac, likewise and since you normally use a dedicated brush with shellac, you don't even need to be too particular since any shellac left in your brush will be re-dissolved with the next use. The alcohol fumes can sometimes be objectionable, but do go away relatively quickly, especially with the necessary ventilation. Wipe on oil/varnish mixtures or wipe on varnishes just require you dispose of your rags properly...there is very little cleanup. (There can be fumes, depending on the product)


My advice is to pick the finishing regimen that best suits the project.

[Ed Lang]

Thanks Jim,

What I take from your comments is the following.....

If I should use a water based top coat, it is just that, a top coat. Not a complete finish.

So, since I am now using the oils, I'll just stay with what I am doing. I didn't say in my original post but I do have a batch of varnish/poly/mineral spirits that does look great on turnings.

Bottom line is there is no way to rush a finish.... it just takes weeks to make it right and complete.

Thanks.

[Tim Sproul]

I've recently started using water-borne finishes. I'm only using them as clear topcoat film finishes.

I still use oil underneath in most instances for the reasons Jim pointed out.

In the list of things you make, I could see using waterborne films for the frames and boxes to get an eye-popping gloss when you wanted that or simply for ease of finishing compared to hand application.

I went waterborne because:

1. I wanted to spray since anything other than a single flat panel is (for me) a bear to get that dead flat finish by hand application. It is even more likely that you want to spray if you desire the ability to tone. Laying on a thin and uniform thickness layer of toner is quite a difficult task to do when hand applying. Much simpler to tone via spray.

2. I didn't want to lock the door when I'm finishing since I also have kids and LOML and such around the house. The need for an explosion proof fan and the need to be sure others stay well away from the shop if I sprayed organic solvent finishes is a large burden for me. Waterbornes mitigate this burden a lot.

Since most of your work is fairly small (I'm assuming boxes that could be set on chests of drawers and such), a smaller touch-up HVLP gun is probably right up your alley. Unless you're making 50 at a time.

Talk/email/correspond with Jeff Jewitt at homesteadfinishing.com. He has been extremely helpful for me......helpful enough to earn my business to purchase both spray equipment and Target Coatings finishes.

[Jim Becker]

If I should use a water based top coat, it is just that, a top coat. Not a complete finish.

Only in an aesthetic sense...technically, nothing else is needed. For example, for interiors of cabinetry, I spray Target USL directly on the plywood. It looks great and I'm not trying to "warm" up the color in that case. Use what makes sense for the LOOK you want.