# Finishing advice



## rob39 (20 Jan 2015)

Hi Guys
Looking for some advice on finishes, Any used the scroll sanders from Olson?? http://www.woodworkscraftsupplies.co.uk ... cts_id=710
Also when applying oil to finished work how do you get a good finish in the fiddly small tight areas of internal cuts??


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## Chippygeoff (20 Jan 2015)

Hi Rob. I have never used the scroll sanders but several of the members do use them and they seem happy with the results. The answer to the oil problem is quite simple. Dip the wood into a dip tank and that way every little cut out gets treated. I know this sounds a bit industrialised but it isn't. I use one of those tupperware type containers. There are lots of different oil finishes but the idea is to bring out the lovely grain in the wood. I keep the oil in a 4 pint milk container and pour a good depth, about 30mm, into my dip tank and maybe treat a dozen or so pieces at a time. On the bench I have several layers of newspaper and I lay out a few rows of the bamboo skewer sticks used for barbecues. After dipping each piece I place it on the skers to dry.

Some oils will solidify when put into a different container or a thick skin will develop on the surface. I have found that the teak oil sold by Wilkinson's under their own label to be the best as it remains liquid all the time. I just top it up from time to time. I leave to dipped items to dry overnight and then wax polish them the following day.


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## jamiecrawford (20 Jan 2015)

Great advice, cheers Geoff, and cheers for asking, Rob! I love coming on. Here and learning something, over a cup of tea


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## Samfire (20 Jan 2015)

I purchased some sanders thinking I could use them on internal cuts but the ends were too big to pass through the wood.
Sam


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## scrimper (20 Jan 2015)

I simply hate doing the finish because I am so rubbish at it, I usually end up using either a water based varnish that dries quickly or one of those spray varnishes which are more effective but take a while to dry.

What I don't get about the oil type finish and the dipping is that it looks to be the best and easiest way but I am sure I would just end up with a sticky mess that took days or weeks to dry and I would spoil the work! So what is the secret?


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## martinka (20 Jan 2015)

I tend to leave the internal cuts alone unless there's something obvious, and then I use one of the small diamond files that are occasionally on sale at Aldi/Lidl/Netto.

When I was new to scrolling and cutting lots of stuff, I copied Geoff's idea and used a Tupperware type container, except I kept the teak oil in the container instead of putting it back in a bottle. Bad idea. Over time, the oil reacted with the plastic and warped the container, the lid came off, and when I came to use it next, the 4 litres of oil had turned to jelly. I tend to use sprays now, which can still be a bit messy, but old Radio Times are ideal for spreading around and containing the overspray. It does dry out quite quickly though.


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## loftyhermes (20 Jan 2015)

scrimper":3dv3qwlo said:


> I simply hate doing the finish because I am so rubbish at it, I usually end up using either a water based varnish that dries quickly or one of those spray varnishes which are more effective but take a while to dry.
> 
> What I don't get about the oil type finish and the dipping is that it looks to be the best and easiest way but I am sure I would just end up with a sticky mess that took days or weeks to dry and I would spoil the work! So what is the secret?



scrimper, 
I finish a lot my work with Danish oil (no preferred brand, using Wilkos own brand at the moment) and use the dipping method and always apply the finish at the end of a cutting session. I put the oil in a container and dip all the pieces I've cut that day and lay them on the wire tray from a disposable bbq, after I've poured the oil back into the tin and wiped out the container the excess oil is wiped from the wood with kitchen towel I blow through any small cutouts to clear as much oil out as possible then lay the wood on a fresh piece of kitchen towel and take it into the house to dry overnight. Using this method I've never been left with a sticky mess. 
happy scrolling
Steve


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## scrimper (20 Jan 2015)

loftyhermes":1bdzy6jf said:


> scrimper":1bdzy6jf said:
> 
> 
> > I simply hate doing the finish because I am so rubbish at it, I usually end up using either a water based varnish that dries quickly or one of those spray varnishes which are more effective but take a while to dry.
> ...



Thanks for that. Is that it or do you apply any polish or anything later?


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## ChrisR (20 Jan 2015)

I have posted this before, so apologise to anyone who has read this before.

To remove the fuzzes after sawing and also to bring up a very smooth finish on the face of a project, I use brushes, intended for polish finishing.

I use the hand brush if there are delicate parts, or the drill brush in a pedestal drill for more robust parts.

These brushes will be available from many suppliers, but mine were obtained from Axminster Tools.

Chestnut hand brush, (Axminster Number 202496).

Chestnut drill brush, (Axminster Number 504627).

Disclaimer, I have no connection with Axminster Tools, other than a  customer. 

Chris R.


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## martinka (20 Jan 2015)

ChrisR":2crvj0gr said:


> Chestnut hand brush, (Axminster Number 202496).
> 
> Chestnut drill brush, (Axminster Number 504627).
> 
> Chris R.



The drill brush should be 504672. Not that it matters too much as both are out of stock.


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## loftyhermes (20 Jan 2015)

[/quote]Thanks for that. Is that it or do you apply any polish or anything later? [/quote]

That's it, I don't put anything else on, a quick rub with a cloth gives it a bit of a sheen, if the piece is not too delicate.

happy scrolling
Steve


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## rob39 (21 Jan 2015)

As ever guys many thanks, now need to misplace the wife's tupperware lol


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## ChrisR (21 Jan 2015)

Thanks Martin, I took the numbers from one of my Axminster advice notes, and still got it wrong. #-o 

I don’t expect they will be out of stock for long, if you leave your Email address with Axminster, you will get notification when they have stock.

Take care.

Chris R.


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## rob39 (27 Jan 2015)

1 other question, would you lightly sand between each dipping


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## Walney Col (27 Jan 2015)

Samfire":23ck3715 said:


> I purchased some sanders thinking I could use them on internal cuts but the ends were too big to pass through the wood.
> Sam


Me too. For outside cuts they work OK(ish) but it's still not as fast as with a hand held sanding stick. They're also not very durable. You can use both ends of course but per foot sanded I think they were way overpriced. Finer and therefore often better for internal cuts are the files you can buy for scroll saws. Also made by olsen (I think) I used them quite a lot when I did a lot of awkwardly shaped internal cuts with a spiral blade on some brass sheet and several peninsulas "caught" of the aggressive tooth of the blade and had unacceptably large sharp edges to remove. 

Col.


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## PeteG (27 Jan 2015)

I've used them on several occasions over the past few weeks Rob, they work really well but obviously your limited by the size of the internal cut. Must admit when I used one for the first time I didn't have the tension right
so the results were a little uneven.


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## Claymore (27 Jan 2015)

The Olsen scroll files are good aswell.... they are like a pinned blade but are rigid with course finish and work very well (tensioning them is easy too as they aren't flexible like the sanders)


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