Universal wood oil

[MrsN]

Shellac is a slightly more natural product, being derived from fossilized bug poop. It starts out as some sort of waxy flake and is mixed with stuff like mineral spirits to apply as a finish. You can buy it as the flakes and mix it yourself, or a can ready to go or a spray can. Different woodworkers have different recipes for shellac based finishes and how to apply them, for what I do a spray can is fine. One of the neat features of shellac is that each layer melts into the layer before it, you don't have to sand as much between coats and will get a more even finish if you have to do repairs in the future.

Poly is a totally man made product. The difference between a brush on and a wipe on is the thickness. Poly is deluted with mineral spirits or the like and made thinner to brush on, make it thinner yet to spray on.

When I use poly, I typically use Minwax. It is pretty easy to find everywhere and is usually the cheapest. 

When finishing most projects my two biggest concerns are easy and cheap, hence my recommendations. 

I tried oil but finding places to put the pieces until they were dry was a pain, plus the timing thing. If I oiled something I had to wait a day or more to have it done. I like to start a project Saturday morning, spray it in the afternoon, put the finishing touches in the evening and give it away on Sunday. 

[Scrappile]

I put my oiled pieces on top of my TV to dry..... now you know how old my TV is.  Try doing that on a modern TV.  But hey, it still works (the TV) and the warmth helps the oil to dry more quickly.

[Bill WIlson]

3 hours ago, Tramsey4 said:

Interesting. What's different between spray poly and shellac? I see on home depot's site they only offer clear shellac spray but offer amber brush/wipe on. 

I'm mostly focused on something that's easy to apply, natural to amber like color, and dries in a fair amount of time. I'm sure you all know when someone requests a craft, it becomes a timing issue.

Poly and shellac are similar only in that they are used to finish wood.  Other than that, they are pretty different.  Their chemistry, how they cure, the solvent they use, and  their individual strengths and weaknesses are different.

The clear shellac spray will impart an amber tint, probably as much as the poly does.  Amber shellac is much darker.  It isn't available in spray cans.  I use a spray gun and compressor to apply it.  Shellac will dry to the touch in about 15 minutes, depending on conditions.

[Bill WIlson]

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

Bill, I like the info you gave, but it made me wonder, on fret work why not dip the piece in shellac, as opposed to spraying?  Don't you have the same problem with getting coverage in the frets, spraying shellac?  Could you dip in shellac, blow out the excess from the frets and wipe it off the face of the project?  I have not done this, just wondering.  There would not be nearly as long a wait time for it to dry and then spray on the whatever. 

Shellac dries very fast.  Personally, I think too fast to dip.  You can add a retarder to slow the drying.  Some folks have used it as a dipping finish.  I have not. 

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

Also mixing the BLO 50/50 with Mineral Spirits works good and cuts down some on the cure time.

I also never read of anyone using Deft Clear Wood Finish as a top coat.  I know it is not available in some places anymore, but it is what I use most for a top coat.  Does a great job, dries quickly. 
 

I used to use a lot of Deft.  It is a good finish, but I don't care for the fumes, so I don't use it anymore.

1 hour ago, Scrappile said:

I love this place.  I almost didn't read this thread, because this topic has been discussed many times, but, I did read most of it and yep, I learned some things again. 

Me too! 

[Tramsey4]

8 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said:

The clear shellac spray will impart an amber tint, probably as much as the poly does.  Amber shellac is much darker.  It isn't available in spray cans.  I use a spray gun and compressor to apply it.  Shellac will dry to the touch in about 15 minutes, depending on conditions.

That's the exact answer I was looking for! I'm going to get some of that at HD very soon. This is one of the reasons why I joined this site.

[Scrappile]

38 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said:

Shellac dries very fast.  Personally, I think too fast to dip.  You can add a retarder to slow the drying.  Some folks have used it as a dipping finish.  I have not. 

I used to use a lot of Deft.  It is a good finish, but I don't care for the fumes, so I don't use it anymore.

Me too! 

It does stink!!

[Bill WIlson]

1 hour ago, Tramsey4 said:

That's the exact answer I was looking for! I'm going to get some of that at HD very soon. This is one of the reasons why I joined this site.

I think you'll like the shellac.  I do caution you that you want to apply shellac in light coats.  Applying it too heavy may lead to cracking and crazing later on.  One advantage of light coats and fast drying is that you can hit the piece from multiple angles to get complete coverage without the build-up and ponding that can happen with a thicker, slower drying finish like poly.  Also, be sure the humidity isn't too high, during application.  Shellac needs to have fairly dry conditions or there is a risk of blushing. 

Spraying shellac isn't quite like spraying a rattle can of paint.  Test the spray on some scrap first to get a feel for the motion and the distance from the nozzle to the surface.  Shellac from the spray can may tend to develop an orange peel affect.  This can happen if you are too close, or too far, move too fast or too slow.  You need to get the technique down to be sure you get the best results.  Personally I don't think the spray nozzle atomizes the shellac fine enough to lay down a really smooth finish, like a spray gun can, but it can be done.  Just takes some practice.

Good luck!

[Gonzo]

On October 24, 2017 at 7:44 AM, Tramsey4 said:

What brand of spray poly would you recommend? I already have some of the clear spray that I never thought to use but I'm intrigued with spray poly to get that amber color.

Though I'm not a huge fan of Wipe-on Poly by Minwax, it may be worth trying.   Very easy to work with, especially on fret work. Use a sponge brush to apply it liberally, work it into the wood with a rag, let it set for a few hours, do a light sanding and repeat the process. Boom, it's done  

If I'm doing a project in pine or Baltic birch plywood, I use spray shellac. If I'm making something out of walnut, alder, maple, etc, I use Danish oil. Yes, it takes longer. A LOT longer. But that's okay, because to me, after applying a coat of Danish, letting it sit a few days and again repeating the process a few times, I end up with a piece that has a very deep and rich luster.  

[Rockytime]

On 10/23/2017 at 5:44 PM, MrsN said:

In my opinion pine isn't worth the effort to stain. I would just put a coat of poly to get the amber color and run with it. It can be hard to stain because of the knots changing the grain structure.

I love cutting pine because of the beautiful saw dust it makes. But really, I do it because I have lots of it and it cuts well. I just cut to amuse myself. Mostly names and word art. I finish with 50/50 BLO and mineral spirits. I just dip in a shallow tray. When dry I spray with clear lacquer. Some things I just paint with a spray can. I also cut some Poplar as it is available at HD or Lowes.