Kitchen Table finished in Sam Maloof's Mixture

[Harbo]

Here's a photo of the kitchen table I made about 3 years ago in sycamore and finished with Sam Maloof's mixture of varnish/white spirit/oil.
It is used regularly for dining off and the artistic endeavours of my 4 year old and 11 month old granddaughters. It has survived very well and only receives a regularly wipe with a damp cloth.

I gave it 4 coats of the initial mix followed by 2 coats of the wax mix - it has not been polished or waxed since! It is very easy to apply - similar to Osmo and easy to make. Mix applied thinly, left for 20 mins then any excess wiped off, leave for 24hrs then apply again. The PU varnish in the mix makes it water resistant.


Rod

 

[Steve Maskery]

Rod
What oil did you use for your mixture? I did a whole load of ash furniture in this kind of finish, but now, after a dozen years or so, some of them are looking very yellow indeed.

I'm using Osmo as my finish of choice at the mo, becasue of the ease of application and the great finish, but I still don't know how yellow it will go. For years I've sprayed cellulose lacquer, and whilst that is a nice clear finish, the absence of a proper spray booth makes the job, expecially on a large pieces, inconvenient, to say the least.

Yours looks smashing
S

 

[Harbo]

Steve

The Sam Maloof Finish Recipe

The Sam Maloof finish consists of two finishes: A varnish/oil mixure followed by an oil/beeswax mixture. The first mixture is applied until you are satisfied with the build-up. Then you apply the second finish, which does require some elbow grease! Mixture 1 Version 1 is the traditional Sam Maloof finish. It takes a while to dry--leave at least 24 hours between coats. Mixture 1 Version 2 is an oft-used finish that provides a little better penetration, is easier to apply, and dries faster and is the one I used.

Mixture 1 Recipe (Version 1)
Mix equal parts of the following:
- Boiled Linseed Oil
- Raw Tung oil (with no added additives)
- Semi-Gloss urethene varnish

Mixture 1 Recipe (Version 2)
Mix equal parts of the following:
-Thinner. White Spirit. The thinner is present to help the finish penetrate the pores of the wood, rather than lay on the surface.
- Varnish. Virtually any quality varnish will do. I used a standard semi matt polyurethane varnish rather than a fast drying type.
- Oil. Use either boiled linseed oil or raw tung oil. I used linseed as it was cheaper

Mixture 2 Recipe
Mix 2 handfuls of shredded beeswax to equal parts of boiled linseed oil and raw tung oil. Heat the mixture in a double-boiler on an electric hotplate just until the wax melts. Due to the volatile nature of the ingredients, brew your mixture outdoors. When cooled, the mixture should have the consistency of heavy cream.

General Application
Apply three to four coats of Mixture 1. Let oil sit on surface for about 20 minutes. Remove excess oil with a clean cloth/paper towel. Allow at least 24 hours drying time between each coat. On the initial coats I gently rubbed it down with fine wire wool/ 600 wet&dry to remove any raised fibres.
Apply two to three coats of Mixture 2.
Rub Mixture 2 into the surface vigorously leave to dry then polish up.

The mixture keeps very well - I came across my coffee jar container the other day with the left overs and it was still usable - just give it a shake.
The wax mix softened up in the microwave!

It does give a slight yellow tinge but I was trying to make the sycamore match my daughter's maple kitchen?

I used this before trying Osmo (which I like) but somebody posted recently that Osmo was not that durable?

Rod

 

[Steve Maskery]

Thank you.

It was a long time ago, so I'm not certain what Iused, but I do havbe a very old tin of Tung in my cupboard as well as a couple of nearly-empty Danish, so it was probably one of them. I'm pretty sure I've never used Linseed on furniture (although I have on outdoor furniture).

I just wish I had space for a proper spray facility, I really don't think you can beat Terry's Chestnut cellulose, but it does have to be applied properly, which is a pain if you are a home woody.
S

 

[OPJ]

WOW!! I don't venture in to this forum often but the finish on this piece looks absolutely beautiful! :shock: Well done!

 

[Wanlock Dod]

Hi Rod,

You got a great finish on that table, but I'm not sure that I understand why the mixed oils are better than just oil on it's own. Do you think that it has resulted in a superior product, and if so why?

I've had a go at similar before but just tend to use a single oil these days, although they can take a while to dry (I'm not so sure that adding varnish would improve this much though)

Sorry if I sound a bit skeptical, I'm kind of curious but also wondering why bother.

Cheers,

Dod

 

[davidcht]

Rod,

Thanks for the info. I'm currently experimenting with Mark Ripley's variation - one third each (approx) of Danish oil, white spirit and matt polyeurathene. Too early yet to judge the outcome. Have you (or anyone else) tried this? How does the result compare with the Maloof original?

 

[Harbo]

David - no I have not tried it. But will be interested to see how it performs.

My only comment is that Danish Oil is a mixture of resins and Tung Oil, so if it is not cheaper why use it?

Rod