Waterproof Finish !!!!

[Duke_Nukem]

Hi All,

Im am an amateur who is trying to make a couple of spearguns for my hobby...

I have made one in the past which i finished hand sanding to 600 grit and then applied teak oil (aply oil....leave for a few minutes and then wipe dry with a cloth, and did this 8-10 times.)

You can see the finished product here:






supposiongly this gives it protection from sea water and you only need to reapply the oil occasionaly...


I am in the process of making another one at the moment and i would like to éxperiment' with a different finish like bees wax !!!

the one im making now:



What would you reccomend for the intented use (sea water) i need it to protect the wood from the sea water and also look nice . What is the best method of applying the wax .?

Also, can i use teak oil as before and coat it over with a final pass with bees wax ???

Thanks all,

George

P.S : I searched the forum for beeswax but found mainly high--tec advice on furniture...i would like some input and thoughts about the suitability for sea water and the protection it will offer it !!!

[astrid]

dont know if you used the first one in salt water yet.
the only thing i can say is it looks good.
the other thing is that i think if you try to wax anything and then put it in water,the wax will go white or "bloom" which means it will go misty.
have you tried a traditional harpoon oil like spermecetti ? I think this is made from whales though
or a cod liver oil or anything else that has a natural sea relationship.
try some historical research on waterproofing seamans stuff,
I am only rabbiting on here with a few ideas, havent had experience with salt water exposed stuff.
I think if you use anything short of marine varnish you will have to keep renewing the finish every now and then

astrid

[Duke_Nukem]

hi astrid,

thanks for your reply....well..if wax will go misty then its no good at all for the application i want it for.....

fishy oil i dont know anything about it...i know people use teak oil...have used similar speargun in sea water with teak oil before and you only need to recoat it every now and then...the pictured speargun has not yet gone into the water.....

so i guess ill sitck with teak oil at the moment....even though marine varnish is a solution, i really like the satin natural look and feel of teak oil....

Thank again,

George.

[orraloon]

I think for use in sea water there is no finish for wood that is not going to take on a weathered look. Rerhaps a two pac kind of product to encase the timber but that is eventually going to develop cracks and let in water. More important is the timber. Turpentine will last ages in sea water that is why it is used for wharf piles. Oil applied after every use in salt water is the go. Over time all kind of oils have been used on boats to protect the wood. Tung oil, linseed, fish oils, animal fats, tar, pitch and so on. What ever way you go with a coating it will have to be redone from time to time. Ask anybody with a timber boat.

Regards
John

.

[Duke_Nukem]

hi orallon...


well...i guess i will stick to teak oil (cause i can get it easily here, and i dont know where to source other products to experiment with)....

anyways....teak oil for now and see how it goes..

Thanks,


George
(Duke_Nukem)

[Harry72]

You'd get quite a few years from epoxy resin.

[amanda223]

yeah nice finish ... but sea water wont let it last for long try using somthing typical like turpentine it is easily available .

[Duke_Nukem]

but sea water wont let it last for long

Are you refering to teak oil ???

try using somthing typical like turpentine it is easily available .

Is turpuntine a better solution for sea water application than teak oil ???


Thanks,

George

[orraloon]

George,
When I mentioned turpintine in my post I was meaning the wood. It is very durable in sea water.


Regards
John

[MacS]

You could apply a "Marine Spar Varnish" it just might be your answer.

Good Luck

MacS

[astrid]

I think if you want to keep the softer grain effect, your going to have to put up with re oiling after every use. I mean it only takes 5 minuits.
If there was a perfect solution to all our wishes us restorers would be out of a job

Astrid

[MacS]

Duke,

You might want to sacrafice "softeness" for better protecting on the 2 pieces.

You, also could thin out the spar varnish and apply a thin coat or two, then rub it with 4/0 steel wool, this will "soften the look", if that's what your after.

MacS