# Finish for wooden clothes airer? And iroko suitable?



## disco_monkey79 (18 Jul 2017)

Hi, 
I have been tasked by The Powers That Be to make us a bigger clothes airer. 

All the wooden ones I've seen have been unfinished, but if I'm making one I want it to look pretty. I was thinking yacht varnish? 

Also, the plan is for iroko for the uprights, and pine for the rails. Iroko has a high oil content his this likely to affect damp washing? I'm just planning to use what I have lurking in the workshop. 

Thanks


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## AndyT (18 Jul 2017)

Unfinished birch is ideal. Pine is ok if not resinous. Don't know about iroko for this. A terribly fiddly job to varnish it, for no gain, in my opinion.


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## sunnybob (18 Jul 2017)

does it need to look like wood?
spray undercoat and spray colour top coat of purple would look cool.


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## disco_monkey79 (19 Jul 2017)

Thanks both.

I do want the wood look, and I don't mind fiddly. Will yacht varnish be up to the job of being draped in damp clothes?


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## AndyT (19 Jul 2017)

Apparently, there are tins labelled 'yacht varnish' sold in diy stores which would be a poor choice for a toy boat, on a dry day, indoors...
One product I've used and like is "Le Tonkinois" which is a trad varnish based on tung oil. Easy to use, flexible, and can give a high gloss. It's lasting well on a garden chair I made, which stays out all year round. The sole importer sells it at boat and wood fairs and online. Their website even shows it used on a wooden bath!

https://www.letonkinoisvarnish.co.uk


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## sunnybob (19 Jul 2017)

You dont have your location on your bio, but if you are anywhere near a coast, there will be a ships chandlers that will sell you REAL yacht varnish. It would be more than their lively hoods worth to sell rubbish.


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## marcros (19 Jul 2017)

AndyT":2s6gvymw said:


> Apparently, there are tins labelled 'yacht varnish' sold in diy stores which would be a poor choice for a toy boat, on a dry day, indoors...
> One product I've used and like is "Le Tonkinois" which is a trad varnish based on tung oil. Easy to use, flexible, and can give a high gloss. It's lasting well on a garden chair I made, which stays out all year round. The sole importer sells it at boat and wood fairs and online. Their website even shows it used on a wooden bath!
> 
> https://www.letonkinoisvarnish.co.uk



Does it look better on your chair than at the woodshow, Andy? I have looked a couple of times at Harrogate, but when you look at the samples, it looks like a thick coat of plastic and they are full of runs. This rather put me off it.

The website gallery pictures look much better than the show samples.


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## ColeyS1 (19 Jul 2017)

Don't forget to degrease with meths before applying your chosen finish [WINKING FACE] Iroko tends to move all over the place so might be worth selecting the straightest grained timber and hope/pray it behaves.

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## disco_monkey79 (19 Jul 2017)

Thanks again all. I'm in Bucks, so about as land-locked as you can get! Thank goodness for the interweb.


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## sunnybob (19 Jul 2017)

youre never too far from a ships chandlers these days

MEC Marine Limited, Willow Marina, Willow Lane, Wargrave, Berkshire, RG10 8LH

and from their on line catalogue
http://www.mecmarine.co.uk/shop/epifane ... ish-250ml/


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## AndyT (19 Jul 2017)

marcros":1eogq50k said:


> AndyT":1eogq50k said:
> 
> 
> > Does it look better on your chair than at the woodshow, Andy? I have looked a couple of times at Harrogate, but when you look at the samples, it looks like a thick coat of plastic and they are full of runs. This rather put me off it.
> ...



Well, it does go on in quite a thick layer, which could be called plasticy - but that's the objective really, a relatively soft, flexible, waterproof coating which moves with the wood. I think that's an advantage for outdoor work - it builds up nice and quickly - one or two coats would be enough for an airer, unless it was very absorbent wood. Brush marks seem to settle out and disappear as it dries.
It would not be my first choice for fine furniture - it's a lot thicker than shellac or Danish oil. You shouldn't be able to see drips and runs if you go round the bottom edges with your brush and wipe over any thick places while it's still wet.

There's an option for a matt finish which you mix into the last coat, but I've not tried it.


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## AJB Temple (19 Jul 2017)

I think there is a reason why wooden clothes airers do not have a finish applied. That reason is a varnished surface will give a drying rate that is impaired as the clothes in contact will stay damp longer (I surmise), whereas an unfinished surface is porous and will aid even drying.


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## ED65 (19 Jul 2017)

I think going without a finish might be the best call here. While you can get good waterproofing even from standard polyurethane any varnish will fail eventually, they rely on upkeep to provide nearly permanent protection. Whereas with no finish there might be little to do other than the occasional dusting.

In addition to facing having to refinish in due course varnishes are only 'waterproof' when applied quick thickly, perhaps 3-4 full-strength coats for a typical varnish (and more if applied diluted as wiping varnish) and this sort of coat thickness comes with two downsides: that thickly coated or 'encased' look but the second may be more important for you, it will also add a fairly significant yellowness.


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## CHJ (19 Jul 2017)

Does the inherent red colouring of Iroko leach out when wet?


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## AJB Temple (20 Jul 2017)

No.


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## ColeyS1 (20 Jul 2017)

CHJ":3ubg1rm9 said:


> Does the inherent red colouring of Iroko leach out when wet?


I wondered whether the itchy horrible sensitisation might get transfered onto the clothes if unfinished. It wouldn't be my first choice of timber, just cause I react so badly to it.

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## disco_monkey79 (20 Jul 2017)

Hmmm, I hadn't considered sensitivity - iroko doesn't (currently) affect me, but it may do others.

I'll dig out something else.

Cheers


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