sam maloof poly/oil finish

[jeffrey cole]

Rockler has stopped making the Sam Maloof poly/oil finish. Problem is I really like it. looks wonderful on my projects. Aany suggestions for an alternative  finish?Tthanks for your help!!

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

I believe the primary ingredients are poly, blo and tung oil. Maybe you could try making your own? 

I like that stuff too. 

[roughsawn]

youtube has several videos about that finish. Should be easy to search, and whip up a batch in your shop.

[gee-dub]

I have used a similar blend for many years.  Base finish is 1:1:1 BLO:Mineral Spirits:Varnish.  Sam had modifications over the years involving waxes and different thinners but the concept is the same. For the varnish component I used to use Cabot's gloss which used a modified phenolic resin.  That product became unavailable and I tried some Rustoleum products (they bought a lot of product lines) but landed on McCloskey's spar which has proven to be as near the Cabot's as anything I have tried.

My first coat is heavy on the oil so I get a good deep penetration.  This can get a little tricky since too much oil can take a long time to weep out of the pores and to cure.  I deal with this by adding a bit of Japan Drier. You literally add about an ounce per gallon of oil based finish so one small can lasts a long time.

My second, third and sometimes fourth coats (depending when I get the look I am after) are straight 1:1:1.

The final coat is light on oil and heavy on mineral spirits.  This is just a unifying coat that gives everything a similar smooth and even appearance.

The big trick on these types of wipe on finishes is to put them on, wipe off the excess, and then go away and leave them alone.

Cabot's:

McCloskey's:

 

Hope this helps.

P.s. the varnish is 'gloss'.  The 'satin' appearance comes from the wiping off of the excess.

[roughsawn]

Good info, Mr. G...and some beautiful furniture.

To the op...it is very rewarding to do LOTS of experimenting. In the last 3 years, I have tried at least a dozen different combinations of colors, stains, dyes, and finishes. You will find one that you are comfortable with after some trial and error.

Last year I finally came up with a combination of color and finish for a base. Then finish on top of/after that. And finally a coat of a hand rubbed wax/oil finish of my own making, after experimenting with 6 different combinations. It works so well on EVERYTHING, that it is all I use on every wood working project.

[jeffrey cole]

thank you all for the information!!  time to do some test with different materials. 

thanks again

Jeffrfey

[Kat the Guitar Queen]

I just put some up on eBay that I had laying around.  It's the oil/wax finish. 20 bucks. Brand new never opened.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/197077653424?_skw=sam+maloof&itmmeta=01JNJ0PQF5GQDRD7W8MEE4K6DA&hash=item2de2be57b0:g:kWYAAOSw3Ctnx6pA&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1csRHzAZnPakXpewOaLxsF09jnHIQ6I2OXQ5vGQo091oRrsMrAVYUdblMdlw0yhO2AZa5ViXTQe6%2BtnnYgZLy%2BAq4oSYIZ7F8p7P6XVeEVfyBc9L5LCKjy5gMNXn9kjBjAnYQ3Bv350T4JXJnioYsrni0vKxBeI2IgYzyA07GJvO6hArZRAdBKTLQMcQ5OkVBrXmz4MU5iGHOiPu4356BL0lQk6cY14IU1eznMatApofPQAXG4EH%2BLHnaOr5RbmFCY%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR9732sCsZQ