Shiny finish?

[Davidp]

Hi Everyone,

First post on these forums... be gentle with me!!

So.... having bought 2 lathes in the space of 6 weeks, I am entirely new to lathing/wood turning. But.... I have the bug!!

I have a question which I hope that someone can offer advice.

I am trying to get a really good shine on the bowls I have created amongst other things, and I am unsure what actually works best to get a good shine.

I have bought the following:

Danish Oil
Beeswax
Shellac Polish
Friction Polish

Can someone give a brief summary of the flow of what to apply and when?

I have done the danish oil to give it some stain, then some shellac polish and then friction polish, ensuring that each has dried along the way, but using just a cotton cloth on the lathe itself isnt working for me the way I expected.

Any tips? Ideas?

Thanks everyone

 

[marcros]

I would have a look at the chestnut buffing system.

 

[CHJ]

If you just want a simple gloss finish then buffing is the easiest, it does however involve expenditure on a mop system method pamphlet download
It's formatted for double sided printing but just note the page numbers otherwise.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

I would disregard all of the finishes you have listed, beeswax and friction polish give an initial shine but it does not last, soon becoming dull and marking with fingerprints. Shellac will give an excellent shine but will be very hard to achieve for somebody new to woodwork and especially on a small item such as a bowl. You can get a good shine from Danish oil but again it is hard work, you will have to apply many layers then cut back and flatten. The easiest product to use is cellulose sanding sealer, for close grained timbers two brushed on coats a fine sanding and wire wool and wax to finish, all done in the space of half an hour while the piece is still on the lathe. A good quality brush is required such as this... https://www.jacksonsart.com/soft-hair-m ... in-ferrule
If you want to get really shiny like a french polished table top shine, you can achieve this by 'pulling over' the sanding sealer with a weak pullover and a polishers rubber. Not as difficult as it may sound.

 

[ED65]

You have some shellac, that's one of the easiest starting points for a very quick and easy gloss finish in turning.

Make up your polish
You make up a mixture of shellac, some oil (it's usually boiled linseed oil that's used but within reason the oil type shouldn't matter that much) and sometimes a little extra alcohol to thin the shellac. The dilution or 'cut' of the shellac is an unknown here but commonly if you're using a readymade liquid shellac you'll want to thin it a little further.

What you do it pour some of each into a small jar or squeeze bottle and then shake vigorously. It's immediately ready to use.

Ratio
One of the commonest ratios given these days for the mixture is 1/3 of each (Google "shellac shine juice") but that's very heavy on the oil. The oil is there as a lubricant so actually having the mixture be a third oil can be counterproductive.

Instead do a half-and-half mix of the shellac and alcohol/meths and then add a little oil and get much the same results, so that would be about a teaspoon of oil to a third of a jam jar of the diluted shellac. You can always add a bit more oil if you feel it's needed, it's much harder to take excess oil out of the mix :mrgreen:

Application
First step is have the turning sanded nice and smooth of course, you can burnish the surface with shavings as well if you like. Since you're new to turning the rest should be moved well out of the way or removed entirely when sanding in case you don't know. And don't move the rest with the lathe running.

Now to apply the polish, have the piece turning slowly and put a little on a wad of cotton cloth then hold it against the surface and instantly be amazed at how it transforms the look of the wood. Keep the pad moving over the surface and as soon as you begin to feel it dragging take it away. Leave the piece spinning to dry, then apply more polish to the cloth and apply again. You can do this a number of times in one sitting.

Shellac dries very quickly with the heat from the friction, so you can usually do multiple coats in the first few minutes. After that you should leave it alone for a time to harden up a bit more, maybe half an hour in the summer, an hour or a bit longer in the winter.

One round of polish is enough for a very nice look, but you can do two or three rounds if the wood seems to need it. If you apply it again and again eventually build a glass-like glossy finish if your prep work on the wood was spot on.

 

[sunnybob]

I'm just doing a wipe on poly finish on a box, for the first time. Its amazingly simple and the shine is incredible. Only problem is its not quick.
I'm doing one coat a day to allow it to fully dry. I maybe could do it faster, but I am really pleased with my results with it, especially as I am banned from ever using a paint brush within 50 foot of the house.