Fast Dry Non Smelling Finish?

[kmmcrafts]

What is a good finish for hardwoods and plywoods that is fairly quick drying and easy to apply? Many times online customers buy today and want the item yesterday, LOL ... and many times what slows the whole process down in the finish.. Danish oil has a smell and takes a few days to dry out good.. and can sell for several days.. especially if it is packaged up.. customers might get high off the fumes when they open up the box, LOL.. some people ( including me ) are somewhat sensitive to smells..

This is a big reason I started using my homemade mix of mineral oil and beeswax.. no smells apply with a brush is the biggest issue with it because sometimes it's kind of difficult getting it into the smaller fret areas.. I use a hair dryer / heat gun to sort of melt my mix down into the pores of the wood.. it looks good for a real long time and the wax gives a sheen and smooth feel.. BUT.. it can be time consuming to apply.. I mainly use Danish oil on items that are not in a rush.. that said.. the Danish oil doesn't look as good either.. something about that wax melted into the wood pores..

Anyway, I've never really got into experimenting with different finishes and thought maybe others have something easy to apply that would look nice and dry fast.. no smells or at least strong smells.. also would need to be able to dry decent in colder winter weather..

Any advice? or keep doing my mineral oil and beeswax mix?

Thanks for any replies,

Kevin  

[danny]

I would be looking very much forward to reading others methods.  I am never in much of a rush to finish a project.

I use the 50/50 method.  Spirits and BLO.  Not much of a smell and does dry reasonably quick.    I keep checking back.  Danny  :+}

[WayneMahler]

Shellac may help you out. Dries fast ( made with denatured alcohol ) and comes in different sheen's. Can be buffed to obtain a glossy level. You will smell it but once dried the odor goes away. You can also after it's dry, spray it with Lemon Pledge and buff out giving it more protection. Just a thought .

[NC Scroller]

I'm with Wayne. Use shellac.  Oils such as mineral, BLO, pure tung oil, walnut oil, etc never harden and are meant more as a wood treatment.

Edited August 1, 2017 by NC Scroller

[Dan]

Shellac,as stated above. 

[jollyred]

Might try Steve Good's method, dipping in floor finish.  This can be obtained in odorless, as  well as fruit odors.  It gives a matte finish, but can be waxed for a shinier finish.

[kmmcrafts]

I've used shellac before and just don't remember really being impressed.. but.. maybe I need to give it another go.. On portrait type work i use the water based Polyurethane spray in the blue can.. just doing desk clocks and Christmas ornaments in all the fretwork cutouts.. it's hard to get a nice even coat of spray.. Ornaments aren't quite so bad as they aren't 1/2 to 3/4 thick.. I have spray equipment so maybe a cheaper option would be to buy quarts and spray with my spray gun.. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

There is no such thing on the market that is odorless. Some products are less offensive but still carry an odor and that includes your wax concoction. Now all depends on what you call odorless and what time frame you are talking about. The color outcome is important also. If you want a warm tone then blo and then let dry for a day and top coat with a lacquer. Now you can get waterbased lacquers in any sheen. They have a less offensive smell. Polys will dry rather quickly and the smell is sealed. I am not a fan of shellac on scrolled projects. That is meant for large woodworking projects in my opinion. Good luck in your quest though. 

[amazingkevin]

14 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

What is a good finish for hardwoods and plywoods that is fairly quick drying and easy to apply? Many times online customers buy today and want the item yesterday, LOL ... and many times what slows the whole process down in the finish.. Danish oil has a smell and takes a few days to dry out good.. and can sell for several days.. especially if it is packaged up.. customers might get high off the fumes when they open up the box, LOL.. some people ( including me ) are somewhat sensitive to smells..

This is a big reason I started using my homemade mix of mineral oil and beeswax.. no smells apply with a brush is the biggest issue with it because sometimes it's kind of difficult getting it into the smaller fret areas.. I use a hair dryer / heat gun to sort of melt my mix down into the pores of the wood.. it looks good for a real long time and the wax gives a sheen and smooth feel.. BUT.. it can be time consuming to apply.. I mainly use Danish oil on items that are not in a rush.. that said.. the Danish oil doesn't look as good either.. something about that wax melted into the wood pores..

Anyway, I've never really got into experimenting with different finishes and thought maybe others have something easy to apply that would look nice and dry fast.. no smells or at least strong smells.. also would need to be able to dry decent in colder winter weather..

Any advice? or keep doing my mineral oil and beeswax mix?

Thanks for any replies,

Kevin  

Sounds like good advice to me as i deliver my projects wet

[ike]

I use spray Lacquer. when dry( with in an hour ) I sand it whit 600 grit sand paper.

IKE

[Fish]

321.  3 parts mineral spirits 2 parts oil base poly 1 part BLO.  Dries pretty fast has a slight odor that doesn't last long.  Semi gloss finish.  You can use other mixtures.   I really like it.  

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, Fish said:

321.  3 parts mineral spirits 2 parts oil base poly 1 part BLO.  Dries pretty fast has a slight odor that doesn't last long.  Semi gloss finish.  You can use other mixtures.   I really like it.  

I might try this one.. I assume you just dip it in the mix? similar to Danish oil?  I really like the ease of use of Danish oil.. just it has a strong smell for several days after.. even though it's dry it still smells for a good week or more after applying. so it's not real practical for items that I need to mail out within a few days.. 

[Fish]

On small stuff I use a brush otherwise I just wipe it on with a rag and wipe off excess.  You could dip small stuff too.  

[NC Scroller]

Will never ever use Water Based Poly in a spray can again. A couple years back I ruined about 8 hours of work.  When I sprayed my project white lumps shot out and covered it.  I tried to sand it off but it was a detailed fret project and it broke when sanding.  When I contacted Minwax they told me I should never start spraying directly on the project with a new can.  I should spray 15-20 seconds somewhere before using as particles of the finish can collect in the tube.  So in others words waste a 1/3 of the can.  Had 3 new cans and tossed them all.

[orangeman]

22 hours ago, jollyred said:

Might try Steve Good's method, dipping in floor finish.  This can be obtained in odorless, as  well as fruit odors.  It gives a matte finish, but can be waxed for a shinier finish.

What is floor finish?

I use a Sherwin Williams acrylic lacquer but it takes a week to 10 days to cure.

bb

[jollyred]

It's made for applying a protective surface to clean linoleum floors.  You get it in the cleaning aisle at the grocery or box store.

[Gonzo]

I agree with shellac. Spray shellac works real well. Although it can darken or yellow your project. spray lacquer works well also. Both the shellac and lacquer are low odor and quick drying.