hardening agent for Baltic pine boxes

[Zed]

Hi,

Im making a couple of baltic pine boxes, whcih is rather soft wood. Since these boxes are intended for glory boxes for a couple of little girls they will probably get banged around a fair bit.

Question : Does anyone know of some type of finish that will harden the timber a bit - im thinking like an epoxy resin type material (at least in practice if not actual...)

Thanks

[RufflyRustic]

Hi Zed,

I used west's epoxy on my kitchen camphor laurel bench. I think it's nearly a year now that it's been up and used with no scratches or dents. I'll never use west like this again, but it has given me the strong finish I wanted.

cheers
Wendy

[soundman]

All sorts of finishes will give you "some" surface consolidation but the timber behind will still be soft and prone to denting.
If you go with a hard / crisp finish product the surface will also crack when dented or scratch badly once its past its failure point.

Waxes and oils won't help much with surface consolidation but would be a good thing after some other finish for keeping long term good looks.

Various poly type products are as good as it gets for durability... if you want to go that way.

Modern nitro is prety hard but flexible

shelac with wax over probaly isn't a bad choice.
the shelac will give the timber a seal and some surface consolidation then the wax will give you a renewable surface treatment. and its all reasonably easy to redo later.
Its worked well since antiquity.

mmm yep i'd go shelac with wax over... but thats me.

When the girl is pre teen it will look fresh and pretty, as it ages & a few coats of wax it will darken and be a ligit' airloom by the time the girl gets married (IF).

cherrs

cheers

[ubeaut]

Probably Rustins or Watco Danish oil. Theory is that they polymerise in the timber and literally harden it. rather than sit on the surface leaving the timber beneath soft and easy to dent etc..

Cheers - Neil :)

[Gumby]

Wipe-on poly would be my choice. It's easy to clean. :)

It's what i used on the servery bench top and is as tough as old boots but still nice 'n shiny.

[Groggy]

(Groggy pulls out one of the really dumb questions he has been longing to ask and fires away)

Does warming the surface or heating the oils allow them to penetrate deeper and therefore give better protection?

A more direct answer to Zed though, what about the thick coatings they put on bars? That stuff is impregnable.

[ozwinner]

[quote=Groggy;399895
what about the thick coatings they put on bars? That stuff is impregnable.[/quote]


Prison bars?

Al :confused: :p

[Groggy]

Prison bars?

Al :confused: :pNope, pub bars. I haven't seen too many of them showing a lot of wear and tear.

[Gumby]

A more direct answer to Zed though, what about the thick coatings they put on bars? That stuff is impregnable.


Nope, pub bars. I haven't seen too many of them showing a lot of wear and tear.

Are you saying you want him to vomit all over his box :confused:

[Zed]

sticky carpet is the meaure of a good pub right ?

thanks neil.

[Harry72]

Pub bar's IMHO would be coated in 2pack like 7008