woodturning finishes

[RETIRED]

I will get the boss to look at this one John.

[John T]

HI IAN pm sent

[ubeaut]

HI ROBO
A question when sanding a bowl to 600 grit and eee cream,+ shellawax glow why do i get stains if it gets whiped with a damp cloth.
regards john.

G'day John - Shellawax which is on a functional piece needs to have at least 2 - 3 coats/applications to make it a surface coating which should stand up to more handling, moisture, alcohol, etc. it is also preferable to sand up to at least 800 - 1200 Not necessary to use EEE over this but preferable.

You can sand higher if you want that's up to you, but the higher you sand and the better the finish should be even if using EEE as well

One coat is basically in the timber more than on the surface, even though it may have a deep lustrous appearance it is still mostly in the timber. This is fine for decorative work that won't be handled or subjected to moisture, etc. but it may be damaged with such things as wiping down with a damp rag.

Other/most problems with dulling are caused by the timber being either, too wet (green), too oily, too dry (spalted/rotting) or too porous. All of these can have an effect on the finish and not just a Shellawax finish but pretty much all finishes.

I would be using Shellawax or as you said Glow (both liquid) rather than Shellawax Cream which has a far greater concentration of wax, making the Cream much easier to damage with moisture.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil

[ubeaut]

thanks everyone that explains alot,

so i will get a shella wax product which one though? cream or the original bottle stuff?

cam

If you can afford it get both. The Shellawax (liquid) will do just about anything now and the cream can be mixed with the liquid to act as an extender for large work.

If you do small things or anything functional like pens, salt and pepper mills or anything else that's constantly handled then get the liquid as the cream has a higher wax content and although pretty hardy won't stand up to as much handling before it begins to shows signs of ware and tear.

Cheers - Neil

PS EEE will make all the shellawax's work and look better and will also make almost any other surface finish look many times better when used over the top.

[John T]

THANKS NEIL& IAN for that info john.

[ubeaut]

HI ROBO
A question when sanding a bowl to 600 grit and eee cream,+ shellawax glow why do i get stains if it gets whiped with a damp cloth.
regards john.

What John neglected to mention in this post was:
"i was at our local market one frosty saturday and some water dripped on the table near the bowl and splashed on it when i wiped it left white stains"
(from PM sent to )

Frost, cold, wet, market. Brrrrr reminds me of 30 year ago. Every Sunday at the Ferntree Gully craft market, rain, hail, sleet, snow and the odd shine .Sorry John, but that's not a really good scenario for almost any finish. I have had the same thing happen to polyurethane finishes under the same condition. The big problem is you often can't get to it straight away to wipe it off and you don't know what else is in that drip(s) like acid, eucalyptus, or a few dozen other nasties. It had to drip from somewhere which has had goodness only knows whatever else on it before the frosty water.

I'm not making excuses for the problem or having a go at John, just throwing a little more light on the subject. It really does help to have all the info. Much easier to give a more helpful and concise answer if the full story is known.

Cheers