Bowl Finish Question

Dan Mosley

Member
Messages
1,169
Location
Palm Springs, Ca
Well work has been cutting back on extra days and things are slow all over i guess so it gives me more time to play with my lathe and wood working.........about 5 days ago i turned the bowl in the picture below....knowing i had to to work the next three in a row and not wanting it to crack or check i put it into a small bucket of teak/linseed oil and soaked it for 3 1/2 days........yesterday i remembered that it was there and took it out and rubbed it down dry......set it out in the warm sun for 5-6 hrs and brought it inside last nite.........rubbed it down with 0000 and thought it really looks good without anyother type of finish being put on it........
I am going to soak more turnings like this when i can - the finish is really deep and very pleasant looking....the picture doesnt really show how nice the finish is......
I usually use Deft semi gloss or i hand finish with oil/varnish/turp mixture.........thats been my norm for finishing.......

Thought about putting a wax finish on it as I do have a dental lathe (thats what it says on it - actually looks more like a grinder to me)....the speed is 1725 or 3450 (may be to fast of speed) and i have never tried to use it since i got it at a garage sale....I dont know alot about waxing and speeds to use..

Any thoughts on buffing just the oil finish on it or adding wax ????

Someone more experienced then me
 

Attachments

  • Natural Edge Finish.jpg
    Natural Edge Finish.jpg
    37.1 KB · Views: 35
I don't put wax on my bowls because of finger prints and carnuba if you get water on it spots badly. It doesn't last very long anyway. My finishes for bowls is either Minwax Antique oil or General Finishes Seal-A-Cell followed by the top coat Arm_R_Seal. I have used Teak oil and like it pretty well. What you did sounds like it has worked well. IMHO I wouldn't put wax on it if it were me. If you do buff make sure you have a bowl buff or just buff the outside. If your buffing wheel catches on the inside you will have a projectile. I do use the wheel on big open bowls but a bowl buff on smaller ones. If you don't believe it ask me.
 
That's a nice-looking bowl, Dan. I'm the opposite of Bernie...I wax almost all my bowls, but they're not expected to get wet. I use Renaissance Wax more than carnauba, because it doesn't fingerprint like other waxes do. It's expensive, but a little goes a long way, so the cost is spread out over hundreds of pieces.

A buffer is nice, but you can also apply Renaissance Wax (or Johnson Paste Wax) by hand, then buff it with a clean soft cloth. When I buff with a machine, I usually do it in the 1200 to 1400 RPM range. That's with 8" wheels. If you're using smaller wheels, you can increase the speed, since it's the surface speed that matters more than the RPMs. 1725 RPM should be fine, but if the buffer's going too fast it can melt the finish and cause problems.

I also agree with Bernie on using a bowl buff on the inside. The undercut rim on that bowl will make it prone to launching with regular buffing wheels.
 
Thanks everybody im going to give it a try..........i to use seal a cell and armor seal but i accumulated alot of stains and finish products from a guy going out of buss for next to nothing so i have been experimenting with different types of finishing.......I got Naptha,Turp,Mineral spirits,Old English Red and Lemon oils, Linseed oil, Teak oil, Danish oil Natural, Danish Oil Walnut, Danish oil Oak, Many different kinds of minwax stains, on and on for about $20.00 as a lot price.........thanks and ill let you know how it works out......Dan
One thing im finding out is the last three small bowls i have turned i have had no problems with it cracking if i soak them in the oil (Teak and Linseed mixture) for 3-4 days - been using a 2 gal bucket about 1/2 full and just submerging them for several days.....seems to be working.....well let them dry for a week or so and complete.
 
Last edited:
Top