Tried & True Varnish OIl

[Mr. Bubbles]

Well, 10 days since the last coat (which is the 4th or 5th coat I think) and it's hard enough to buff.  I buffed and buffed it, (those soft wheels attached to a drill and run at low speed seem to work even better than hand buffing) but the finish still feels about the roughness of about 2000 grit sand paper.  I want it to feel smooth as glass.  I guess that tells me the finish hasn't totally penetrated the wood substrate yet.  I want to stay away from using any sandpaper though.  I thin even 2000 grit is going to bore right on through those ultra thin coats.  Would you suggest rotten stone, and very sparingly?  I've never tried using that stuff before, but am anxious to learn.  I am after the most perfect finish I can do.

[G_T]

There was mention of red die or stain fading with sunlight exposure... Alkanet root was the traditional red ingredient, IIRC (or at least one of them). I obtained some a year ago but haven't had the chance to experiment with it yet. Perhaps it would not fade with UV exposure.

Gerald

[flehto]

I'm "gunshy" of using  finishes that have BLO in them and also don't like to rub out the shine w/ whatever abrasive one would use.

My finish requires 36 hrs to complete for 4 coats of 2 different finishes, 2 coats each and  because the final finish is very dull, have to rub w/ a fluffy towel to  achieve some  satin sheen. Shown below is the finish after a few minutes of the fluffy towel......Fred

 

[Iktomi]

I'm "gunshy" of using  finishes that have BLO in them and also don't like to rub out the shine w/ whatever abrasive one would use.

My finish requires 36 hrs to complete for 4 coats of 2 different finishes, 2 coats each and  because the final finish is very dull, have to rub w/ a fluffy towel to  achieve some  satin sheen. Shown below is the finish after a few minutes of the fluffy towel......Fred

 

 What finishes are you using? Your results look great.

[flehto]

i'll give you the complete process. After the  staining is complete { I use alcohol based stains}, a  good rub w/ 0000 steel wool removes any unabsorbed stain which can "cloud" the color. A vacuuming and the 1st  of a wipe on/wipe off coat of LMF sealer is applied and during the 10 min soak in time, more LMF is applied to areas that absorb at a faster rate. After a  complete dry  this is repeated and when this coat is dry, a hard rub w/ 0000 steel wool removes any unabsorbed sealer. Both the rubs w/ 0000 steel wool really smooth the surface. Don't exceed the 10  min soak in time....it can start setting up.

After the stock is vacuumed, a very sparse coat of Wahkon Bay Trucoat is rubbed in w/ the fingers until it feels dry {it's really not}. After a complete dry, another coat of Trucoat is applied the same as the first.

Each coat of both the LMF sealer and Wahkon Bay Trucoat takes 7-8 hras to dry.  After the last  coat is dry, the finish will be a little shiny, but then will become dull. A  10 min rub w/ a fluffy towel and some sheen is achieved as per the pics.. It usually takes me 36 hrs to finish  a stock.....Fred