End Grain Sealer for oil finishes

I don't use Watco, but pure tung oil and walnut oil. I find that sanding to very fine grits is one way to prevent the end grain from absorbing too much oil. I usually sand to 1000 grit. This might also depend on the type of wood to a certain extent. Martin Long Island NY

Hi Rod

Shellac is a good sealer, make sure it is not old though, a nitrocellulose lacquer or sanding sealer works also good.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

prevent

Hi Rod

I don't think that it makes any difference, if you want to use danish oil there is not really any binding anyway, it's just mostly BLO and thinners , I have a link to Russ Fairfields finishing corner that gives you a lot of good info on finishing for the wood turner.

Oil will not adhere to the shellac, but you're going to dilute your purchased 3# cut or make a 1# cut from scratch which will virtually disappear from view with one application. Might as well order flakes and get started with your own, as it's got to be the easiest and most attractive finish out there for small work.

With alcohol acting like water to swell wood fiber, rather than like oil, which slips in between, you'll want to do your final sand after the shellac application to take off fresh whiskers. This will also remove any shellac at the surface.

Oil won't adhere to burnished (case-hardened) wood either, which is why that old trick works for flat workers. I don't like the effect it has on a turning, personally.

At time, I have used a Paste Wood Filler from Benjamin Moore (238-05). Its mixture of finely ground transparent natural flint. I have used this paste filler on oak, sanded it and applied Danish oil with good results. I can only conclude that the oil adhered well and promote the beauty of the wood grain without altering its color. I have never tried it but on the direction it says that it could be stained after. On large surface paste wood filler is labor intensive but for small surface I do see any problem.

Yep, I've used pore fillers, too. Not on turnings. Some are as simple as plaster of Paris, some are silex in oil, some are, I believe, latex. Different animals, demanding different techniques. Especially nice on diffuse-porous woods.