inishing just isn't my cup varnish and turpentine—at the oil finish, it won't obscure the the finish creates a slurry of of tea. Planning the de- woodworking school I went to texture and character of the wood dust, oil and varnish that F sign and construction in Boston in the late 1970s. wood. Yet because of the var- fills the pores beautifully. details, picking the wood and Since then, I've experimented nish, it offers more protection carefully laying out the parts to with the ingredients, the pro- than oil alone. Don't sweat the finish match the wood's color and portions and the method of ap- The varnish also helps the fin- proportions grain are all exciting. Cutting plication. These days, I use this ish build faster than a straight oil When mixing this finish, I don't joints and planing by hand are finish on everything from fine finish, eliminating much of the get overly scientific about mea- pure pleasure. But putting on a furniture and kitchen cabinets drudgery of application. Be- surements. The finish is very finish is my least favorite part of to the handles on the tools I use cause the proportion of varnish forgiving, and many propor- building furniture. That may be around my farm. is relatively low, this finish is as tions will work. Generally, I mix one reason I've settled on a fin- The finish is mixed from easy to repair or renew as an oil them in approximately equal ish that gives me consistently either tung oil or boiled linseed finish. And it can be tinted with measures. If I want more pro- satisfying results with a mini- oil and varnish, thinned with artist's pigments or oil-based tection, I'll add up to 50% more mum of effort. turpentine. It's easy to apply, stains to match any wood. varnish. If it's too thick (and al- I first learned about this hy- doesn't require a special dust- There's no need to fill pores on ways for the first coat), I'll add brid finish—a mixture of oil, free finish room and, like any open-grained woods: Sanding more turpentine to get better the few who still use them. Ingredients are Some of these varnishes take simple; propor- weeks to cure fully. tions are forgiv- ing. Linseed or Modern varnishes are a com- tung oil, varnish bination of synthetic resins in and turpentine an oil vehicle. Among the oils make up the used by finishing manufacturers author's favorite are soya, safflower, rung and finish. A pigment- linseed. The proportion of oil to ed oil stain can be added to give resin in these varnishes ranges the mixture a widely, and this affects how little color. long they take to cure, as well as how tough and how elastic the cured finish film will be. A spar varnish has a compara- bly high oil content, which takes longer to cure and leaves a fairly elastic surface that ac- commodates wood movement. Polyurethane varnishes dry quickly and form a tough, durable, but less elastic, coat- ing. Also, after the finish has cured, repairs or additional coats don't bond well. In terms of drying time, Flood the sur- face. The first toughness and elasticity, alkyd- coat will soak in- resin varnishes fall somewhere to the bare wood, between spar varnish and poly- so check the piece urethane. They're not as tough carefully for dry as polyurethane, but they're spots after it's more elastic, and any coats ap- been covered entirely. Re-coat plied after the varnish has areas that dry cured still bond well. in the first 10 I have used all three of these minutes or so. varnishes in my finish with good results, but my favorite is spar. The main reason is color. Spar is the darkest. In combina- tion with linseed oil, which also tends to darken wood, spar var- nish significantly affects the Rub off the color of some woods, like cher- excess. Pay close surface penetration. If I'm going ry. I happen to like the effect attention to the to color the mixture, I add an oil this mixture has. inside corners stain or artist's colors, keeping Right away, cherry and bird's- and the areas it light initially and darkening it eye and curly maple look older. around details more if need be. But on darker woods like wal- like cock bead- nut, the color change is barely ing, where the finish can collect. Spar varnish is a favorite perceptible. If you want to pre- It's more difficult Varnishes have been around serve the light color of a wood to remove excess for a long time. Really old-fash- like maple or ash, use a poly- finish after it has ioned varnishes are a mixture urethane varnish because it im- hardened. of plant resins (such as amber), parts the least color. oils and a solvent, which is Most varnishes also have ul- heated and combined in formu- traviolet light (UV) inhibitors lations often kept secret by added to their formulations to their makers. Even the tech- keep the finish in the can from niques for applying these var- turning an unattractive yellow nishes are carefully guarded by and to slow the natural aging ef- Brush on subsequent coats, one area at a time. Keep checking areas you've already coated to see whether they've started to become tacky. After the first coat, the finish becomes sticky quickly.

feet of sunlight on wood. All varnishes are naturally glossy. The sorter luster of a satin or semigloss varnish re- sults from the addition of a flat- tening agent, such as aluminum stearate or silica, which breaks up the reflection of light off the wood's surface. Stick with a gloss for the toughest finish, and use steel wool to get a satin finish, if that's what you're after. Two rags are better than Boiled linseed or tung one. To remove excess finish oil and turpentine after each coat, the author For the oil component of my uses two rags. The first one finish, I use either boiled lin- picks up the majority of the seed oil or tung oil (also known residual finish; the second en- as China wood oil). Boiled lin- sures the wood is really dry. seed oil is made by steam-heat- ing processed oil from raw flax and adding metallic drier com- pounds. The nondrying portion of the oil is removed, making what's left suitable as a finish. Tung oil also is heat-treated, which speeds its curing time when exposed to oxygen. Tung Brush it on; rub it o f f oil is more expensive than lin- The key to a really good finish seed oil. However, it cures to a with this mixture, or any finish tougher, more water-resistant for that matter, is to prepare the film, and it doesn't darken the surface well. For me, this usual- wood as much. If you want ly means a planed or scraped maximum protection and a surface. I find this to be faster light color, use tung oil. Don't and more enjoyable than sand- use raw linseed oil because it ing. If you do sand, start with a won't dry. fairly coarse grit, and work up I thin my varnish and oil fin- to at least 220-grit. But it's less ish with turpentine. This in- important which grit you end creases surface penetration and up with than how thoroughly speeds drying time. High-qual- you work through each grit to ity turpentine is getting harder eliminate scratches from the and harder to find. It largely has previous grit. been replaced by mineral spir- For the first coat of finish, I its, which should work. I stick brush on the mixture, flooding with turpentine because it's al- the surface and re-coating any ways worked well for me. dry areas that appear (see the

50 Fine Woodworking center photo on p. 49). After ment. Each layer adds a little half an hour or less, any finish more depth to the finish, some still on the surface will start to gloss and some additional pro- feel tacky. As soon as it does, I tection. For a chest of drawers, start rubbing with clean cotton three coats is fine. For a table rags to absorb it (see the bot- that's going to see hard use, I tom photo on p. 49). would go with a minimum of This initial coat is the easiest four coats—five would be bet- to apply because most of it ter. When I'm satisfied with the soaks right in. Nevertheless, it's finish, I wait at least 24 hours, important to wipe off every bit and then I top it off with a paste of excess so that the surface wax made from beeswax, doesn't turn into a sticky mess. boiled linseed oil and turpen- When the surface is thoroughly tine (see the box at right). rubbed dry, I'll set it aside for at least 24 hours before re-coat- Using the finish ing. Make sure you dispose of to fill the grain the rags properly. Either spread Another one of the beauties of them flat outside until they've this finish is that open-grained dried or put them in a metal woods such as red oak or ash bucket with a lid. Oily rags can don't need to be filled before combust spontaneously. finishing. Lightly sanding the Subsequent coats of finish go wet finish with 220-grit (or fin- on in the same way, except that er) sandpaper smooths the sur- they tack up more quickly and face and creates a pore-filling require more rubbing to re- slurry. I usually apply the first move the excess. How fast coat in the usual manner and these coats tack up depends on sand the mixture after applying the temperature and humidity it for the second and third coats. and on the type and amount of This method is easier than varnish in the mixture. Polyure- using a filler, and there are no thane varnishes cure within a problems with compatibility or few hours and can tack up very bonding between the layers of My favorite topcoat is made of quickly; spar varnish can take finish. I avoid wet-or-dry, sili- a combination of beeswax, twice as long. con-carbide sandpaper because boiled linseed oil and When finishing a large piece the dark abrasive can color the turpentine. This mixture is not of furniture, I work on one sec- pores. Instead, I use garnet or tion at a time. I keep checking aluminum-oxide abrasives. as hard as a paste wax made the areas I've already coated so with carnauba, but it's durable that when the finish begins to Rejuvenating the finish enough and it smells great. tack up, I can start rubbing im- is easy In a double boiler on very low heat, I melt together mediately (see the top photo If the finish needs repair or if it a hunk of light-yellow beeswax (saved from comb on the facing page). If I happen just starts to look tired, it's easy honey I bought from a local beekeeper) and slightly to get behind, brushing on a to fix, First clean the surface fresh coat of finish softens the well with 0000 steel wool, tur- less than equal amounts of oil and turpentine. I aim tacky layer enough so that I can pentine and a little boiled lin- for a consistency similar to butter warmed to room rub it down. seed oil, and then wipe the temperature. It should be soft while maintaining its I like to use two rags, one for surface until the rags come shape (see the inset photo above). If the wax mixture most of the excess finish and clean. A light sanding with 320- cools to something harder or softer than this, I add more one for a final once-over polish grit sandpaper will take care of oil or wax, whichever is appropriate, and rewarm. This (see the photo at left). Any any stubborn areas the steel places that aren't wiped clean wool can't handle, Apply a recipe is very forgiving. will feel crusty. I don't worry fresh coat of finish, and rub it I apply the wax with 0000 steel wool, rubbing out about these too much because out with clean rags. After the the cured final coat of my oil-varnish mixture at the I can either rub them down finish has fully cured, reapply a same time (see the photo above). If the wax is the with steel wool or rub especial- wax topcoat. right consistency, it smooths out easily without feeling ly vigorously when wiping off gummy. After a few minutes of drying, I buff it with a the next coat of finish. Garrett Hack designs and How many coats to apply is a builds furniture in Thetford clean rag to a satin sheen (see the photo on p. 48). To matter of choice and good judg- Center, Vt. maintain the finish, just re-wax. — G.H.

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