Home Brew Finish Mix- Question of the Week

May 8, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week 

This week’s question comes from Brian. He writes:

I recently watched a woodworking show on TV. The cabinet maker used a mixture of linseed oil, tung oil, and polyurethane for the finish. He stated that he bought it off of the shelf. I can’t seem to find anything like it on the internet. Do you know of any product like this, or do I have to mix it myself? If I have to mix it, what is the ratio?

And here was my reply:

“Hey Brian. If you mix it yourself, the standard mix is approximately 1/3 each. But that’s a mix that has some redundancy built in. You would probably be better off (unless you strictly want an oil finish) with a mix that contained 1/3 (linseed oil OR tung oil), 1/3 polyurethane or other varnish, and 1/3 mineral spirits. This will give you a very durable wipe-on finish with the added benefit of varnish. There are numerous oil/varnish blends that will be similar to the above mixture. Waterlox, General Finishes Seal-a-Cell, and Watco Danish Oil, just to name a few common ones.”

Comments

10 Responses to “Home Brew Finish Mix- Question of the Week”

  1. Jon Fogle on May 8th, 2007 6:35 pm

    Yeah,

    I read somewhere (long ago) that this mix (boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and spar varnish in equal proportions) was a favorite of Sam Maloof. Because I don’t have a dedicated finishing area this finish works great in my less than dust free shop. It does, however, take several days to build up 3 or 4 coats.

  2. nick on May 8th, 2007 7:11 pm

    how about just 50/50 varnish and mineral spirits? used that just fine on a project

  3. thewoodwhisperer on May 8th, 2007 7:17 pm

    Hey Nick. That basically just a wiping varnish formulation. Thats one of my favorites. Dries faster and offers more protection. But some people like the addition of the oil as it becomes a more “close to the wood” finish. But as long as you dont apply too many coats, the wiping varnish will produce a similar finish.

  4. Jeff Jackson on May 9th, 2007 5:28 am

    Sounds like someone found WoodWorks.

  5. Shawn DuGay on May 9th, 2007 7:55 am

    Marc,

    You apprenticed with David Marks…I heard that he actually uses the Waterlox wipe-on product. Is that true?

  6. thewoodwhisperer on May 9th, 2007 7:58 am

    I cant say for sure what he’s using now, but he used to use General Finishes Seal-a-Cell followed by General Finishes Arm-r-Seal.

  7. Frank on May 9th, 2007 11:28 am

    The BLO, tung,poly mix comes from Rockler. I went there looking for the individual components and saw it with Sam Maloof on the label. It works great for me, but I’m dummy and was following Dave Knipfer’s Rude and Crude method. Where can I learn my finishing options? I make bandsaw boxes and the finish takes 5 days counting lining the drawers.

    Your site Rocks, by the way.

  8. Ron on May 9th, 2007 11:35 am

    what might be better for a sofa table the wiping varnish formulation or the seal-a-cell/arm-r-seal combo?

  9. thewoodwhisperer on May 9th, 2007 2:26 pm

    Frank- Your best bet is one of the classic finishing reference books in The Wood Whisperer Store. They will generally outline all of your finishing options. Using a wiping varnish would speed up your finish process.

    Ron- The Arm-R-Seal is a wiping varnish itself. So you are starting with an oil/varnish blend (seal-a-cell), and top coating with a wiping varnish.

    Many people think you can just go right to the wiping varnish and save time. Using both seal-a-cell and arm-r-seal will not improve the durability. It just changes the look. I would try both methods on scrap to see if its worth the extra effort and time to use the Seal-a-Cell.

  10. Pops on May 12th, 2007 3:46 pm

    This is also my favorite finish. 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 boiled linseed and 1/3 polyurethane. This is the Sam Maloof finish. Builds quicker than the formula with mineral spirits. You can maintain with 1/3 linseed, 1/3 tung and 2 handfuls of shredded beeswax.

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