Thread: finishes on woods...

I'd recommend you try the Traditional Oil Stock Finish #FK-F from Jim Chamber Flintlocks http://www.flintlocks.com/parts.htm

I've used this on gun stocks and it's finish is beautiful - it gives a deep, rich but clear finish like the CA but without the plastic look of CA, and it brings out the grain.

I recommend raising the grain before finishing - I'll make another post describing this.

For the first application, the wood is drenched with the finish to seal it and then wiped off. For subsequent coats, just apply a few drops and rubb it by hand - 10 to 15 coats in all.

If you get some, minimize exposure to air - it goes off fast in the air. I just pour out a little each time to use. Jim recommends putting marbles in the can as you use it to minimize the air in the can.

That marbles thing sounds like a good idea. Tung oil has the same problem with oxidation so I think I might try it with that too.

I'm not a fan of CA finish, although having said that I have a few of Bill's razors that are outstanding.

For me wood is a tactile material so I don't like to make it feel like plastic. Ca sure does do wonders for the appearance though.

I now use tung oil (gun woodstock oil) and after I've applied the coats I want, I finish off with briwax. I get a nice warm feel to the wood and I could get carried away and apply a bizillian coats to get high gloss if I wished.

Just my view on things.

Gary

Jason,

Nice comparison of the finishes and very accurate conclusion. The CA is beautiful and durable but Tung oil has a more pleasant feel to it. I apply a few coats of tung oil while sanding down the wood to bring out a deeper color and finish it with CA. A few thin coats of Tung oil tend to change the color a lot less and gives the wood a darker, wet color.

Tung Oil is problematic. It tends to gel with exposure to air. I settled on using the Tung Oil Sealer for all finishing because it is thinner and has less of the gel lumps that form in Tung Oil.

I tried an inert gas spray from Lee Valley to keep tung oil and other finishes that react with oxygen from lumping. It works well to prevent gelling of tung oil but is a bit pricey if you keep opening and resealing the container; it needs to be applied every time to displace the trapped air at the top. I use it only for the big can that I open when refilling the smaller one. I like the marble idea, it is a cheap and effective solution.

It sounds like Traditional Oil Stock Finish is possible alternative to CA when I don't need to create a thick coat to cover the brass. Thanks for the link.

It just occurred to me to try filling a syringe with the oil finish when starting a razor.

One can open the can only long enough to fill the syringe and then dispense the oil finish as needed from the syringe, not exposing it to the air between coats.

Vlad, could I do the same with Truoil and CA? Basically start off with a few coats of Truoil and then finish it with 6 coats of CA?

Does anybody use polyurethane two pack varnishes? I have some as i use them on my boat. Wouldn't they be pretty ideal for the rigors of the bathroom?

I was thinking of using a penetrating (thinned) epoxy to seal scales, followed by a few coats of polyurethane to protect the epoxy (as the epoxy is not uv stable and the PU is)?