Help-My cutting was OK BUT my finish isn't

[Dakota Saw Dust]

Finished a nice cutting of Jesus & Joseph - did some sample staining on scraps. One of which was Lemon Oil. The color looked good on my samples & still does but the lemon oil does not want to dry/out gas [that's a problem for my wife] and it allows finish sanding marks to be exaggerated. Since the piece is 3/4" I could  re-sand but I'am sure the oil soaked in real good since a dipped the piece. Also I have a feeling my sand belts will clog easily.   Can I spray anything over the lemon oil to reduce the out gassing [for my wife]? Any ideas & help greatly appreciated.  Brian

[Toneman]

Hello Brian. I am by no means a pro at this (in fact 1 yr experience), but, I spray my works with Bulls-Eye  Shellac and it seems to work just fine and gives a nice finish to the work. I used to use lemon oil, but, now use a 50/50 mixture of BLO and mineral spirits.

Tony,aka,Toneman

[dgman]

Hey Brian, as you have found, lemon oil does not fully dry. Lemon oil is not designed as a finish, it is for cleaning or polishing. As tony mentioned, a lot of scrollers use a 50/50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits.. The oil brings out the color and grain of the wood and will dry in about 24 to 48 hours depending on humidity.
You should be able to put a topcoat of shellac or spray lacquer on your current project. I like Deft semi gloss spray lacquer.
If you decide to go with the 50/50 mixture, make sure you don't get the "echo green" mineral spirits as it is milky. You want pure clear mineral spirits. I mix up a quart of oil and spirits at a time and store it in an old mason jar. Good luck.

[Dakota Saw Dust]

Thanks Tony & Dan.  I've never used BLO/MS and at this stage of my project mistakes really don't want to try something I'm completely green on.  Dan I have used Deft sprays quite often but I use the polypropylene. Do you think it would make a difference? I shy away from the lacquer because of the strong out gassing  & flammability.

[BilltheDiver]

Jumping in:  Polyurethane (which is what I think you meant) dries slowly, as in hours.  Lacquer dries in minutes, as does shellac.  You will get an odor from a varnish like polyurethane for many times longer than from a lacquer or shellac.  Another thing you might try is Odie's oil.  http://www.odiesoil.com/odies-oil-original/  I have a friend who is a luthier and uses it on his guitars and ukes.

[Becky]

Hey Dakota, do you have a garage?  I do all my Deft-spraying in the garage.  I crack the door if it isn't windy (I don't wind dropping dust or leaves or something on my projects!) to help air out the place.  I find that I can smell it in the room right next to the garage but not beyond that.  Once you've done all the coats you want, you can open the garage door all the way and it will air out pretty quickly.

[Dakota Saw Dust]

Thanks Bill & Becky.  I did a test w/Deft Lac. on a scrap & it even improved the color. So I bought a new can and plan to give it go in my shop/garage [Becky]. Look at the Odie's oil Bill.  It's a little spendy for me to just try - but thanks for bringing a new product to my attention. I'll the site bookmarked for possible future reference. Brian

[Becky]

I was out in my shop today and remembered this post.  When you mentioned the lemon oil, you said it exaggerated the finish sanding scrath marks.  It made me wonder what grit you take it to.  You mentioned your sanding belt and I haven't seen a lot of those in the higher grits though I know you can get them.  I usually go to 220 and don't typically have any obvious scratch marks by the time I'm done. 

If I misinterpreted your comments or added 2 + 2 and got 5, just ignore me, lol.

[GrayBeard]

Becky...I bought some 220 grit belts from PeachTree. I went with their Keystone brand and they do a nice smooth job...$2.30 each in 4 X 36 size

~~~GB~~~

[Dakota Saw Dust]

Becky ,I use a belt sander at 150 grit and go 200 followed by 400 grit with a hand block.  My junior high school shop teacher [of some 50 years ago] had use kids sand the living #*%#@ out of our projects. Don't remember what my grade was - maybe I'd get F for this one -for not sanding enough.