Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) So with this current speargun build being my first build since I started really woodworking, I'm starting to think about other finishing options that most spearo's don't know of. Specifically, thinking about using GF salad bowl finish under teak oil rather than a thick epoxy coat.There are really 2 universally accepted finishing methods for Wood guns. 1) slow set epoxy (that you cannot use on the enclosed rail due to the thickness) and 2) liberal coats of teak oil maintained often.I'm going with teak oil but wondered about first coating the whole gun with salad bowl finish first for more protection. I use GF salad bowl finish on my cutting boards and it seals out water beautifully. I have accidentally left the board sitting in water and it came out fine. Any reason one can think of that I'm outta my mind? Edited August 28, 2015 by Brendon_t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) Salad bowl finish is just thinned interior varnish, from what I understand (i.e. it is basically Arm R seal with a different label and ratio of varnish/thinner). Varnish does great sealing out water. However, interior varnishes don't do so well outside because they are too brittle and break down in direct sunlight. Marine varnishes do better outside because they have more oil (making them softer, hence better able to move with swings in humidity) and UV protection. Contrary to popular belief, marine varnishes are not inherently more water resistant than interior varnishes, nor are they more durable (I can't tell you how many times people use spar varnish on interior furniture because they want more durability... that is what happens when you listen to guys wearing orange or blue vests). But they are flexible and UV resistant, two characterstics you need if something is left outside, subjected to prolonged humidity swings and direct UV exposure. (yes epifanes marine varnish is probably more durable than minwax poly, but that is apples and oranges)Assuming you take good care of your spear gun, don't let it sit outside in the sun for days on end, and store it in a humidity controlled environment, I think a high qualitiy interior varnish (like Arm R Seal) would be fine. You might want to scuff sand and reapply every other year or so, before the finish starts to degrade. If the thing is going to sit outside on a boat year round then marine varnish would be better. One last thing, apply the teak oil over a varnish like salad bowl finish is just pissing in the wind. The varnish will build a light film and seal the wood, so the oil will just sit there on top until it is washed away. I love General Finishes products and use them often. But their marketing and labelling is probably the most infuriating in the business. They are the kings at selling the same thing under 10 different labels to make you buy more stuff. Even when they try to be descriptive ("oil and urethane top coat") they are misleading. I suspect Seal A Cell, Arm R Seal and Salad Bowl Finish are all the same varnish with different amounts of thinner and different labels. Edited August 28, 2015 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 GREAT INFO mike and thank you. Actually once I hit submit, my brain went, "varnish won't let the teak oil penetrate stupid...."Being in California, real varnish is getting very difficult to put my hands on. My guns I'll not see prolonged exposure. I only do one day dives and rinse/towel off the gun at the end of the day. All guns hang on the wall in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Brendon is the speargun to go under the water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Yes. It will be balasted with liquid lead to be buoyancy neutral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 I used penofin marine oil on an outdoor table. It is just an oil with UV absorbers, a little bit of tint, and likely some kind of mildew and fungus killer. The UV and tint help protect against the sun. I put it on a mahogany table that sits outside and it is holdling up well. It can be reapplied anytime with almost no effort. Something like that might be good. this place ships to CA but probably not to your county... http://www.decksdirect.com/penofin-exterior-marine-oil-finish.html?source=merchant&gclid=CjwKEAjwjYCvBRC99sSm_frioAwSJACrKuPC6EqYghT0iTljhl-ayRrNaCSQERJ2qaji5lG-wvxQUhoC3rPw_wcB#812=&742=1086 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 They can ship to my home, just not my office. . Yeah, that makes sense. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 They can ship to my home, just not my office. . Yeah, that makes sense. .They can ship to my home, just not my office. . Yeah, that makes sense. .Their afraid you will use it to go postal on your fellow workers and they don't want the league liability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 I mean because of the counties. I work in la county which is on the no go list. I live in ventura county. A-ok there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Mike mentioned something about Arm R Seal and salad bowl finish being basically the same. I was watching Charles Neil finish a cutting board and he said the same thing, and said he uses ARS exclusively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Good to know. I wish ARS came in a gallon * ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 I used penofin marine oil on an outdoor table. It is just an oil with UV absorbers, a little bit of tint, and likely some kind of mildew and fungus killer. The UV and tint help protect against the sun. I put it on a mahogany table that sits outside and it is holdling up well. It can be reapplied anytime with almost no effort. Something like that might be good. this place ships to CA but probably not to your county... http://www.decksdirect.com/penofin-exterior-marine-oil-finish.html?source=merchant&gclid=CjwKEAjwjYCvBRC99sSm_frioAwSJACrKuPC6EqYghT0iTljhl-ayRrNaCSQERJ2qaji5lG-wvxQUhoC3rPw_wcB#812=&742=1086 mike, since you have used this, does it quickly build up a finish or more soak deep into the wood? The reason I ask, the chanel the spear sits in is cut with a ball mill that is only .020" over the shaft size. Idealy I would like something that penetrates the wood, but will build up a film with repeated coats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 ==>I wish ARS came in a gallonhttp://www.amazon.com/General-Finishes-Satin-Arm-R-Seal-Gallon/dp/B001DSZYD6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8 No way it's delivered to CA.... Needs a quick trip to NV... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Yes like CA we can no longer get ARS in the UK. Pesky volatile rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 Holy trip. I'm ordering. Amazon will still ship it to me so I gotta horde it when I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 mike, since you have used this, does it quickly build up a finish or more soak deep into the wood? The reason I ask, the chanel the spear sits in is cut with a ball mill that is only .020" over the shaft size. Idealy I would like something that penetrates the wood, but will build up a film with repeated coats.No build whatsoever. It is a penetrating oil, just soaks in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Z. Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 One more thought: Rebecca Whitman (do a google) recommends wet sanding with teak oil in order to seal the pores prior to the first coat of varnish. You might be surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 One last thing... "teak oil" is just a marketing name for what is usually a oil/poly blend. Yes it conjures up visions of someone hiking through Burma and tapping teak trees for oil. That is Grade-A B.S.. I don't think it is any different than danish oil, maybe it has some UV protection in it. It is sold by multiple brands and some might be a drying oil (like boiled linseed oil), some might be oil and varnish mixed together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 One more thought: Rebecca Whitman (do a google) recommends wet sanding with teak oil in order to seal the pores prior to the first coat of varnish. You might be surprised.can you be more specific or link? There are a lot of women that come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 dude, i would love to see a picture of a wooden spear gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) Yes like CA we can no longer get ARS in the UK. Pesky volatile rules.But you can by all the gasoline (petrol) you need.... funny how VOC rules pick on an industry that is miniscule. It is the ultimate "look like you are doing something without really doing anything" tactic! Edited August 28, 2015 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 dude, i would love to see a picture of a wooden spear gun.I've got a build journal going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 ==>http://speargun.com/products/padauk-series/For those using wood, Padauk is the species of choice... Experienced divers use pole spears --- gun-type spears are now heavily frowned upon... Many sites and boats ban them...http://speargun.com/products/pole-spears/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted August 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) Areally we really going into a handtool vs power pissing match? I disagree with both statements. Yes padeuk is used but FEQ is still used in almost every major gun maker that I know of. Of course there are other woods available but I still have seen teak as the wood most commonly used. Out of the many product lines riffeel has, only one is padeuk Experienced divers use pole spear..That is just a rediculous statement...I started pole spear hunting and am the only one I have ever met.Most hunters use a centerfire rifle for hunting. The archery world is a billion$ +/year industry. I've never seen a single dive boat charter "ban" guns. That would end their business on this coat at least. Edited August 28, 2015 by Brendon_t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted August 28, 2015 Report Share Posted August 28, 2015 But you can by all the gasoline (petrol) you need.... funny how VOC rules pick on an industry that is miniscule. It is the ultimate "look like you are doing something without really doing anything" tactic! I know Mike - crazy, absolutely crazy. I have to use waterbourne finishes if I want to use General Finishes. I can still get domestic oil/varnish blends (still with VOCs) but nothing as good as ARS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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