"Slurry" finish

[JosephThomas]

I don't know what this finish schedule is called, naming it "slurry" finish for now...my local FW group rec'd this finish schedule for some chairs they are doing for a charity, and I had never heard of it. Anyone ever tried it or know the pros/cons of it? The guy I talked to at the FW group wasn't giving me a lot of answers, other than "this is the recommended way to finish"...which wasn't helpful to me.  So, wondering if any of you guys have any thoughts or experience

Basic summary:

1. Sand to 150 grit
2. Dip 150 grit sandpaper in oil finish, sand  the surface with it, creating a slurry of sorts between the finish and the sawdust, continue rubbing it in.
3. Repeat step 2 with 180 grit, 220 grit, 320 grit, etc etc etc until your arms fall off.

Any experience or thoughts? I haven't made the time to try it out yet. For the record, I forget if the "finish" was meant to be oil based varnish, BLO, or one of those combination finishes with BLO + varnish. I am guessing it was the combo, but I forget.

[Eric.]

That's a great way to get a silky smooth finish with absolutely no protection.  Otherwise known as an oil finish.

I've done it before.  And found no difference between that and just sanding to a high grit and applying oil.

[wtnhighlander]

I've done it using Danish oil, but sanding to 220 or 320 first, then using 400 to wet sand the oil. It does produce a super silky surface (say that thre times, fast). Danish oil contains a little varnish, so enough coats will provide some protection, but it dries slowly enough that the wet sanding works. Trying this method with a straight varnish would likely result in a gooey mess.

[Ronn W]

Take a look at the recent thread

BLO finish and surface prep samples

in this section of the forum.  Just my observations of a little experiment with oil and sandpaper.

[mds2]

That is the technique I use, more or less, for finishing gun stocks.