Bottle Stoppers

Some say that I'm over finishing, but I sand through the grits from

mike

I use Bartley's gel varnish on most woods. Doesn't wor real well on Cocobolo, so I use Hut Crustal Coat on that and Kingwood as they tend to have a lot of natural oil.

Jay Sweeney in NH

I wouldn't think you'd get much wine spillage on the bottle stopper where the finished wood would be. But, you're right about a shellac(-based) finish not reacting well with that if that would occur. This includes most friction polishes like Mylands, Hut PPP and Crystal Coat. They're all shellac based. If you can find (or make!) a lacquer-based friction polish, that would be a good solution.

Deft is a lacquer. Not a problem with the wine or high-humidity environments once it's dry/cured and is good in high-use situations. There shouldn't be much ambient moisture in your refrigerator. Freezer, yes.

Personally, in small projects like this, I use my lacquer based friction polish. If I'm doing a lot of them at once, I just spray lacquer.

- Andrew

I usually use a good polyurethane, or else go with a Danish oil finish and wax, like Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax

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September 11, 2001 - Never Forget

I would like to use Crystal Coat - I use it for pens and other turnings, but the Crystal Coat is shellac and the alcohol in the wine should take the finish off if it comes in contact. I have tried emailing Hut for an opinion but they do not answer.

Robert

I contacted Deft and they do not recommend Deft Clear Coat as a finish for this type of application. They recommend a Precatalyzed Lacquer.

I have heard that Pure Tung Oil is a good finish and resistant to both water and alcohol. I had also thought of an interior/exterior lacquer.

Robert

The precat lacquer will, certainly, have better alcohol resistance than the normal (uncatalyzed) lacquers such as Deft Clear Coat. But it's not enough to warrant the disadvantages (as I see them) of using the precat in what you're making.

The precat lacquers dry/cure slower; only last about 6 months "in the can" at best; and can't be used in a friction polish situation. Don't get precats too hot or they'll develop cracks fairly quickly. They used to have problems, when spraying, with having "ghosts" or white blushes develop but I think the new formulations have that controlled now.

I love pure Tung Oil as a finish and as an additive to other finishes. It is resistant to both water and alcohol to some degree, yes. Not nearly as much as a cured lacquer though. Use it fresh or else you'll get a white powdery substance forming on the top of it. You might get that anyway over time if you use it as your one and only finish. It hardens in the wood which I like most of the time. It can be easily be left alone for a "natural" flat look or rubbed or buffed for higher shines. It doesn't keep that shine for long though. On some woods, especially spalted woods, it really makes the grain and colors "pop" out at you too. You'll need to let the Tung Oil dry/cure for probably a few weeks at best before it's exposed to water or alcohol.

So many finishes,

- Andrew

I use Spar Polyurathene on my bottle stoppers. They are handled a lot, and water or alcohol will not hurt the finish...this is a real tough finish. Nashville, Georgia

I use plain old bees wax, fairly thin, so it really soaks in.

Key to getting a good lustre is like any finish thats not a coating, and thats to use good tool techniques, and then sand to a fine finish (>1000 grit)

Rex Haslip Auckland New Zealand