Woodworking

Awesome, Stig...an awfully overused adjective these days, but absolutely appropriate to your work, and that piece specifically.
 
Thanks for all the kind words.
In this case, though, it was the wood, not the turner that made a difference.

As for finishing, I use Danish oil, of course:lol::lol:

But a special one. I taught a woodturning seminar some years back. Among the attending turners were a retired chemist, who had worked with oil/laqcuer finishes his whole life.

We got to talking about finishing oils, and subsequently he created a Danish oil variety made especially for turners.

It has about 3-4 times the amount of solids of normal danish oils. Also hardens extremely fast, which means one has to be super careful about oil soaked rags, as they'll self combust even worse than normal.

But it is wonderful to work with.

I apply it on low speed on the lathe, with steelwool 0000 ( equivalates to 1000 grit) then after the first coat has hardened, I cut the surface with steelwool 0000 again and reapply oil.

That is all there is to it.

His oil is not cheap ( about $400/gallon) but it is the best I've ever come across.
 
There is 100% Tung oil, and that which has petroleum distillate dryers in it. Almost different products with substantially different drying times and pretty big different effects. Jasco "old fashioned" tung oil is the best I have found, it has a dryer in it. I used to order it by the case from an Ace Hardware, or some paint stores carried it. Now I use Egoma oil, or called Perilla oil almost exclusively. A very fine oil but costly, apparently good for you too, but I sometimes thin it with mineral spirits or turpentine. Finishing oils are a deep subject, what are you wanting to use the oil for, Jaime? if you need moisture protection, some oils are a lot better than others, and you can add other things to them to help that out. The fine steel wool then using wet and dry finishing sandpaper up to the thousands of grit, is what i usually polish my furniture with, often rubbing until it makes me crazy. Finishing is really a trade in itself.
 
ive used the jasco brand, and i loved it. used it for quite a few projects, then i couldnt find it any more. mostly im lazy, and when i moved i didnt look very hard. i did try some non dryer, and some other brands with dryer on some of my bowls and spoons. i prefer the old standard beeswax/mineral oil over the non dryer tung on the spoons, tho they look nice and shiny with the drying oil. im not sure how that would wear under use, and i havent tried.
with curing tung
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good ol mineral oil
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According to some study I read, the 100% Tung affords better moisture protection than the dryer included type. The 100% is hard to develop much of a sheen, compared to the dryer type, it doesn't build up very well. I like a sheen on furniture, and the Jasco did a good job. I'm not optimistic that an oil finish will serve very well for spoons subject to heat and moisture. Maybe occasionally rubbing in might be all you can do. Pretty tough environment for a finish. Great looking spoons, really beautiful! Not sure if the Jasco is still being sold, it has been a long time since I used it. As I mentioned, I mostly could order it, even if not sold at the hardware store. I think there is also something out there called "salad bowl" finish. It's a non toxic oil of some sort recommended for eating utensils, bowls, and the like. I haven't used it.
 
There was a long article on "food safe" finishes in American Woodturner a couple of years back, Jay.

The conclusion was that any finish is food safe, once it has hardened completely. The unsafe part is the various thinners.

They even got one of the companies that market " food safe" salad bowl oil, to admit that there was no difference between their product and any other. But. like they said, it is food safe, so are anything else, but when we put it on the label, our stuff sells better.

I can just imagine what P.T. Barnum would have sid to that:lol:
 
i think i read that article. funny how peoples perceptions can be steered (manipulated) so easily.

"I like a sheen on furniture, and the Jasco did a good job. I'm not optimistic that an oil finish will serve very well for spoons subject to heat and moisture." i agree Jay. the spoons i have finished w/tung oil have been more show piece rather than utensil.
 
Interesting on the toxicity question. I was not aware of the findings. It was/is a big thing at least over here, finish toxicity, maybe not so much for smaller items, but like for interior and exterior surfaces, and sometimes furniture was getting a hard look too. I like to play dumb and answer every question with "yes". Suddenly a lot of people were buying these German products that really push their no toxicity when being marketed. Green leaves all over the labels. Super expensive too, probably a lot of it is hype. Wonder how the driers in some oils, I believe being a petroleum product, would affect toxicity? After hardening, OK? Relatively small amount is required to allow quicker hardening....a few drops. I like how thinned oil, thinner or turpentine added, allows better penetration for the first application of oil, then generally use lesser thinned or no thinning at all after that. If you guys can find the Egoma or Perilla oil, specifically sold for finishing, give it a try. Unusual moisture protection from a pure oil. Now I can get it with a drier added, which I really like.
 
Just seal a green leaf or two under a massive coat of Verathane right on the piece in a highly obtrusive spot, Jay. Beat 'em at their own game :D.
 
So the SIL wants to display my coffee table at the women's show in her booth. I planed it back down then sanded and started finishing it again, I hope it doesn't move much more in the next month!
Got it down and looking good. I tried filling in some rough places with saw dust and glue mixed together, it worked some, but didn't work worth a crap in the moderate sized crack in it.
I'd like to fill these spots in with something so they show, but are smooth. Would super glue work for this then poly over the top of that?
 
For filling gaps, I generally use epoxy and color it a bit with concrete dye powder (most often black). It can come out looking pretty natural.
 
Is that what you were going on about??? Haha, just kidding, Andy, it looks good. The top looks smooth. You are keeping it?
 
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