Simple finish.

[ozzpoz]

Hi. I've been practicing with hand tools only so I made a stool using cheap studwork wood from Wickes. I've probably sanded to much. I did 120 then 240. Only by hand. But I can see it's very dusty.
I enjoy making but hate finishing . I always ruin my hard work and turn everything orange.
All I have in the garage is danish oil. Beeswax, something called briwax medium brown and half a tin of clear lacquer spray.
What the best prep to do before and what's the easiest " can't mess it up if I tried " way to finish it.
Thanks.

 

[Chief Sawdust Maker]

Looks good.
I would sand to 240 spray with water to raise the grain sand 240 again dust off with a vacuum and apply 3 or 4 coats of danish oil very thinly and leave 24 hours between each coat, you could then add a light coat of beeswax and buff up.

 

[ozzpoz]

spray with water to raise the grain sand 240 again

Hi. Thanks for advise. Do you mean spray with water and sand while wet. Or wait for it to dry before sanding again.

 

[Chief Sawdust Maker]

Wait for it to dry it will raise the grain, then sand

 

[Sideways]

Light will turn it yellow orange in time.

 

[Orraloon]

Light will turn it yellow orange in time.

So right. Most timbers darken over time when exposed to UV. Just a fact of woodworking life.
Anyhow if Danish oil is already in the shed then use that and follow up with a wax polish. Give it about 7 days after the last DO coat for a full cure before the wax is applied.
Regards
John

 

[Blackswanwood]

@ozzpoz - I agree with what has already been said.

If you want a bit of easy background reading on which finishes to use and when I have found that a few of the online retailers have some useful stuff on their sites.

Here’s one …

https://www.wood-finishes-direct.co...t=Danish oils are a bit,and easy to work with.

 

[Fergie 307]

For a really nice finish I always dampen the wood then finish whilst damp with at least 600 wet and dry. Need to rinse the paper regularly in water so it doesn't clog up. As explained to me the theory is dampening raises the grain, which the paper then removes. When it dries it shrinks back, leaving a really smooth surface. This was specifically in connection with gun stocks, but I have done it this way ever since on anything where I wanted a really good finish. Leaves a surface as smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom
I used to do a lot of spraying of cars, and to me 240 grit is incredibly coarse. Can't understand why people would see that as a finishing grade, and certainly far to coarse for use between coats IMO anyway.

 

[imageel]

A trick the Scandinavians have used for years to diminish the likelihood of timber yellowing with age and UV exposure is to paint the timber 1st with a diluted white pigment paint. I have used this successfully on old pine floorboards destined to be left exposed in a sunny bedroom where a large decorative rug covered the center. Many years 10+ later it still looks good albeit the wood has darkened somewhat, however no signs of yellowing.
Commercial flooring paints e.g. Bona do a similar undercoat wash which I successfully used as a base on a restored pine woodblock floor I laid a while back, I posted a thread about it here and now some 2-3y later it still looks fresh with no signs of any yellowing.
Definitely worth trying out on a test piece 1st to gauge how many coats of thinned white you want however it does prevent timber from going that almost yellow/orange tinge as it ages.

 

[ColinDeVelen]

I use a thickish home made soap finish for most of my projects now (unless there is a specific request for something different). It's easy to make, easy to apply, doesn't need any special PPE and I can hand the project over quickly. It's not a hard finish (it's soap, after all), but it's easy enough to reapply again. It really depends what you plan to do with the stool you made.

 

[thetyreman]

the easiest finish is oil, but I have found that pure tung oil yellows wood less than boiled linseed oil over time so prefer tung.