what to finish old pine toy with?

[Christopher Kanda]

I'm fixing up an old pine toy cart for a friend and want to put a clear type finish on it. Would BLO be ok or should I use something else? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

[Jim Becker]

BLO is not a clear finish...it's an oil. It will certainly make the piece look nice and give it a soft glow. But if you want a film finish, use shellac. Simple. Durable. Renewable.

[Christopher Kanda]

Call me silly but what do you mean by shellac? Can you tell me some specific products that are easy and inexpensive to use. thanks

[Tim Thomas]

http://www.zinsser.com/product_detail.asp?ProductID=31

Zinsser Bulls Eye shellac is good stuff and widely available. Available at Home Depot, Lowes, even Wal-Mart, etc. If you need to thin it some, use Denatured Alcohol (commonly referred to here as DNA). Lots of folks thin this stuff out and use it as a "seal coat" for projects that they intend to stain. I did that myself for a project I recently made out of pine. But at full strength it makes a fine finish all by itself. This premixed shellac is good stuff with a lot of different uses around the shop. Enjoy!

[John Mihich]

Agree with shellac. It's fairly easy to apply and if you want later another coat can be applied w/o too much bother.

Another easy finish is wipe on poly. There all you need is a rag. It does take longer to dry then shellac so application time is longer.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

You said it's an old pine cart. Before finishing I would wipe it down with acetone or alcohol just in case it has oils or grease on it that would inhibit a finish from sticking to it. Agree with the shellac...it can be bought in a spray can, depending on how much you need.