Chuklz Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Thanks to some good advice from other threads, I've been looking into making some danish oil. Do you use different ratios in certain situations? I don't plan on adding color just yet, but was curious what recipes others use when adding color to their recipe. When adding stain how is that worked in to the ratio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 I just don't see a reason to mix your own. I just use Watco. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewisc Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 For a long time I thought Sam Maloof’s finish was the best thing since sliced bread. Buying the seperate ingredients and mixing it ended up being expensive and wasteful if it didn’t get used. I’ll still use it when the right project calls for it though. When I discovered wiping poly, I had a go at mixing my own but the results were never the same as buying a premixed can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 The 'classic' home mix is 1:1:1 MS, BLO, and Varnish and then play with it and adjust based on what you want it to behave like by playing with scraps. More varnish helps it build faster, more oil makes it take longer to dry, more MS makes it flash off faster. If you look at the can of Watco it is mostly MS, so a 1:1:1 home mix will behave very differently. Making your own is more to make it behave just like you want, so there won't be a 'best' ratio versus just finding what you like. If you enjoy making finishes up I also recommend getting some shellac flakes and denatured alcohol, once I started using shellac I started using a lot less Danish oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 1:1:1 And then I add an additional part of varnish for the final topcoat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Shellac flakes keep well, mixed shellac has a shorter shelf life. I always test shellac before use on a project. Brush a couple coats on a scrap & let dry overnight. If it feels soft and sticky the next day it's past it's usable life. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuklz Posted January 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 2 hours ago, Gilgaron said: The 'classic' home mix is 1:1:1 MS, BLO, and Varnish and then play with it and adjust based on what you want it to behave like by playing with scraps. More varnish helps it build faster, more oil makes it take longer to dry, more MS makes it flash off faster. If you look at the can of Watco it is mostly MS, so a 1:1:1 home mix will behave very differently. Making your own is more to make it behave just like you want, so there won't be a 'best' ratio versus just finding what you like. If you enjoy making finishes up I also recommend getting some shellac flakes and denatured alcohol, once I started using shellac I started using a lot less Danish oil. 57 minutes ago, gee-dub said: 1:1:1 And then I add an additional part of varnish for the final topcoat. Any recommendations on the varnish that you use? I'm a year into wood working and have no experience with finishing other than the watco danish oil, rattle can lacquer and big box store shellac. I have a bunch of scrap pieces that I'm going to leverage to practice various finishes on, but if I can learn from others to at least start me in the right direcition it will help save some money not buying products that won't necessarily benefit me. I'm excited to try some finishes out on scrap, but honestly have a bit of anxiety when finishing my actual pieces. I'm sure with experience the anxiety will subside a bit.....hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuklz Posted January 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 51 minutes ago, wdwerker said: Shellac flakes keep well, mixed shellac has a shorter shelf life. I always test shellac before use on a project. Brush a couple coats on a scrap & let dry overnight. If it feels soft and sticky the next day it's past it's usable life. When you say shorter shelf life, would you say weeks or months? I typically would be storing them in some mason jars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 For shellacs the flakes last more or less forever, in solution you have 6 months or so. I have a little piece of picture frame glass I test the shellac on. For varnish I use some fast-dry oil varnish from Sherwin Williams, upon a recommendation to me that it was one of the few that still contained alkyd resins versus most that are polyurethane. The difference between the two may be fairly academic, but it seems to work well. Don't make up too much at once as the resins appear to be able to polymerize after a bit in the mason jar, whereas in the can is still fine; I assume commercially blended varnish/oil blends have some emulsifiers or additives, but then again I've had half-cans of Arm-R-Seal turn into a block of plastic in the can... Also enjoyable if you like messing with chemistry during your woodworking: making your own hide glue from granules. You can do "hot hide glue" or "liquid hide glue" depending on your preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chuklz Posted January 29, 2018 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Definitely a lot to learn and glad I found this forum. I picked a fun yet costly hobby, but have no regrets as I thoroughly enjoy the time I have in the shop. It is funny how I underestimated the time and skill it took to make things until I started doing it myself. Now trying to convince friends that want stuff made of that same fact is another story and a much longer conversation that I'm sure has been had on here more times than people prefer to discuss. I've read a little about making your own glue and figure that's something that's definitely down the road for me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 For varnish I prefer a modified phenolic but, it has gotten hard to find. Typical poly like helmsman or varethane don’t work as well for me but, I have had success with them. Poly Phenolic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkinneb Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 37 minutes ago, gee-dub said: For varnish I prefer a modified phenolic but, it has gotten hard to find. Typical poly like helmsman or varethane don’t work as well for me but, I have had success with them. Phenolic That bottom piece is amazing gee-dub!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 5 hours ago, pkinneb said: That bottom piece is amazing gee-dub!! Thanks. There's more on that here. The varnish in that blend is Cabot's gloss spar varnish. The poly in the cherry piece is plain old Varathane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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