Minwax Wipe On Poly

[double.d]

Masters is gone and i've rung 3 Home Timber stores but none have it. Anyone know who stocks it in Brisbane?

Thanks.

[Jim Carroll]

Not available in Australia any more

[barri]

Its a great shame Masters closed. I love the Minwax products.

[Ari2]

According to the Minwax website, Homehardware is a reseller i Australia. Visit the Homehardware site for store locations in Qld. Good luck.
C

[shanesmith80]

On the rare occasion I have seen it in Bunnings as well.

[Mobyturns]

Bunnings has stocked it in the past.

[Justin]

Not available in Australia any more

Now that's not good news. I'm a big fan of this product.

[woodPixel]

AUD$36 for 500ml with free post: MINWAX COMPANY, THE - 1-Pint Satin Water-Based Wipe-On Poly | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MINWAX-COMPANY-THE-1-Pint-Satin-Water-Based-Wipe-On-Poly-/332078372319)

[spokeshave]

AUD$36 for 500ml with free post: MINWAX COMPANY, THE - 1-Pint Satin Water-Based Wipe-On Poly | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MINWAX-COMPANY-THE-1-Pint-Satin-Water-Based-Wipe-On-Poly-/332078372319)

This is water based, I've never used it so don't know how it compares to the oil based product.

Bunnings stock this. Mastertouch Wipe-On Poly | Wipe-On Gloss Or Satin Timber Finish (http://www.feastwatson.com.au/consumer/products/interior/product-details/1512)

I've tried this and it is no where near as good as the Minwax stuff but may be an alternative that is still available locally.

Steven.

[homey]

My understanding from reading books on finishing (e.g. Flexner) is that wipe-on poly is just normal poly that has been thinned/diluted, so if you can find a poly that you like you can very easily turn it into a wipe-on finish by adding mineral turps. Good reading in this article by Bob Flexner:

The Basics of Wiping Varnish - Popular Woodworking Magazine (http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/finishing/the_basics_of_wiping_varnish2)


Brian

[Robson Valley]

There's a rustic furniture shop down my street.
Among other things like queen-size beds, they make walking canes and hiking sticks in batches of 50 at a time.
Their go-to finish is MinWax Tung Oil Protective Finish (TOPF) usually 3-4 coats.
I really like the apearance so use it on many of my wood carvings.

Try it.

To apply, they wear a plastic glove and a cotton glove over than.
Dip their hands in the TOPF and wipe it on. 50 sticks done in minutes.

[double.d]

I bought some of the Mastertouch in Satin to try but its way to glossy for my liking so i tried a coat of wax over it and buffed it up. The gloss was toned down a bit but the wax is a bit blotchy.

Any comments on this, or does and dont's

[homey]

Double D,

To fine tune the gloss level on shellac/varnish/poly I wait some days until it is very dry then use Micro-Mesh to get anything from a matte to a high gloss finish. I go to 12,000 for the high gloss and about 6,000 for a semi gloss. Note that the Micro-Mesh numbers don't match up with some other abrasive numbering systems but you can see a comparison chart on the Sandpaper Man's site (he sells Micro-Mesh).

It was an article by Charles Neil in the U.S. that put me on to this approach and I use it regularly on boxes. Might be more difficult if you're finishing a really big piece.

Here's the article:

Finishing the Finish @ The Finishing Store News (http://news.thefinishingstore.com/index.php/finishing-the-finish/)

Good luck,

Brian

[Mulgabill]

I have received an email from Minwax stating that Minwax is not now available in my area. I enquired at several Home hardware outlets and was told that due to minimum order requirements they will not be stocking the entire Minwax range, only volume orders for the trade. I was also told that Bunnings will unlikely stock Minwax "any time soon". :C