Oil based Stains and Finishes

There are a number of oils, waxes, shellacs, lacquer, varnish, (and a number of techniques including fuming, ebonizing, straining) which can be used to finish wood.  Picking the right option for each specific situation allows for the best possible finish for each piece.

The Difference a Film Makes

We had the standard options including water-based poly, shellac, lacquer, oil-based poly, and oil & wax. Although water-based poly won with 27% of the votes, there was a very vocal minority who wanted to see the oil & wax finish. So this resulted in a number of discussions about oil & wax and what kind of value this finish has to a woodworker. Personally, I am not a fan. An oil and wax finish is time-consuming to apply and offers very little in the way of protection. Yes its better than nothing, but just barely.

The Lost Art of Fuming Wood for Color

We are in an age when coloring woods simply means using one of the fine staining products that are readily available. Most of these come with instructions on usage and safety. But there is another way to color wood, one that mother nature uses, oxidization.

Ebonizing Rust Stain

It can be difficult for some craftsmen to stain a project made from a beautiful hardwood like walnut. A purist might say that staining any wood is unnatural and thoughtless. Sometimes though, a wood requires stain to bring out its hidden beauty. And as woodworkers, most of us appreciate the beauty of grain in wood and it's uncommon for us to hide it.

Ebonizing Wood

I read this method of ebonizing wood in a book by Tage Frid a long time ago. It works well on any wood that water will penetrate into. Some woods, like rosewood and lignum vitae do not respond well to this treatment because they don’t absorb water very well.

Applying A Natural Finish

Mother Nature provides a variety of methods for protecting wood...beginning with the bark on a tree. Bark insulates the live wood from decay, disease, insects, people who like to carve their initials into them and other pests.  Once the tree has been sawn into lumber and the lumber transformed into a piece of fine woodworking, there are a number of natural finishes that can be used to pick up the job of protection where the bark left off. Three of the most important finishes in this category are shellac, lacquer and varnish.

The Secret To A Long Shelf Life

Is it normal for a mixture of poly and mineral spirits to become like a jelly if its sitting around for about a month or two? I made a half and mixture and when I went to use it the other day it was useless. I guess it would be smarter to make as much as needed rather than making a larger batch?

Applying A Synthetic Finish

In the strict sense of the word, all wood finishes are synthetics, since they are somehow manufactured from raw materials. But this term is usually applied to a broad group of plastic finishes, including polyurethanes, poly-vinyls, acrylics and epoxies -- all of which are synthesized from petroleum products and space-age chemicals.