tricky finishing porblem

Hi Geoff

Are you still able to hold it in the lathe, if yes then a thinned tung oil could be put on, wait 10 min or so, then turn on the lathe and spin off al the excess, and wipe the outside while spinning to get any that's flung to the outside, before it's able to harden up.

Just a thought, before I nod off ad go to sleep.

Have fun and take care leo Van Der Loo

sorry leo cant hold it in the lathe i have turned off the recess and carved the base

You're filling the carvings with paint, and then scorching the exterior, right? Where does the oil come into play here? There's nothing magickal about the use of oil beyond the nice way it makes the grain pop- something that isn't all that important if it's painted and scorched. Why not paint the recessed areas, allow to dry, sand off the excess, scorch the wood, and then spray the whole thing with a can of spar polyurethane? I can't see how it would hurt anything, and for me it's a lot easier. If the inside of the bowl is smooth and you want to oil it to make the grain pop, just finish that seperately.

Light coats with the spray can or hvlp sprayer, using a different finish. Poly, Laquer, or Shellac are all going to be easier to use, and look about the same over painted and charred wood. If you use shellac, don't expect to ever wash it in water.

No way around that with oil, at least not that I've been able to find. I've done some scorched stuff for my dad, as he's really into "rustic" cowboy stuff, and you just can't touch it until it's got a protective coat over it- and that includes wiping it with oil. You might be able to spray the oil, but it takes a little while to soak in, and has a long open time, so it's still possible it's going to lift up little bits of ash and float them over the piece.

Why are you diluting paint with finishing oil? They've got "paint thinner" for just that purpose, and you don't risk destroying the curing properites of the paint.

When I am putting an oil finish on a piece of maple burl which usually has a lot of voids, I will blow it off with the air hose. I think that I saw this trick in an old Fine Woodworking where the guy was blowing out the joint between the frame and the panel. It does work on voids and bark inclusions. Get a rag and the air hose. It won't get all of the oil (like if there are some spongy parts that will leak oil for a while), but gets most of it. Wipe the runs up as the air blows it out. I will usually hit it a couple of times. robo hippy

I do a similar thing with compressed air, on both varnish and polyurethane. I have used polyurethane on scorched wood in a thin layer, blow off with air to remove excess. After first coat I do fine sanding and re-apply thinned urethane for ultra thin topcoat, leaves a nice finish. Haven't used oil in a long time, as it leaves a bit of a 'tooth' on the surface that is hard to dust, and it also makes wood, especially walnut and curly grain, too dark for my taste, hides the grain, color and variety...

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Damn. Talk about a head slapper. I do that without thinking cabinets and pieces that I stain or rough textured work (rustic finishes are increasing popular in S. Texas) that requires clear finish.

I just never thought of doing that on the lathe. Talk about not being able to connect the dots! Sometimes I think I have been doing this stuff too long, and I just go on auto pilot and don't think about the better ways to do things.

Thanks robo.

Robert

thanks for the info - i agree the spray would be the ticket. since i havnt used it before and not readily available i decide to buff the charred surface well to remove the excess soot - then oil the charred surface - the light coat of oil has not gone into the recesses but this infact helps the piece - the matt paint on the inside of the shiny black scorched exterior works well - a couple more coats and that should do - i must have a go at spraying in the future - what types do you suggest that could be picked up locally (uk)- does it prove expensive for large pieces.

You can spray just about anything- do you have an air compressor? If so, it's only about $80 (us) to get started with a gallon of laquer, thinner and a medium-grade spray gun. The gun runs about $40, and looks like a small silver pistol with a quart can screwed to the bottom. You dillute the finish a bit with it's proper solvent, fill the cup, and hook it to your compressor. It's actually a very cheap way to go, and the savings is greater on larger peices. One gun can be used for mulitple finishes, including paint.

If you're looking for aerosol spray cans, I've had very nice results with Helmsman Spar Polyurethane and various spray laquers- though I've never seen shellac in a can where I'm at. Spray cans can get expensive if you're finishing a lot of things, but they're nice for the odd smaller project.

Make sure you have proper ventilation with either method, of course. A good chemical mask is worth investing in as well, if you don't already have one.