Finish for Christmas ornaments

[no1texan]

How do you finish the Christmas ornaments that Steve offers putting on names and different styles?

I have been dipping in Boiled Linseed Oil, let "dry" overnight and spray several coats of Deft. Last night I read that Boiled Linseed Oil takes about a week or longer to dry completely dry. So I am not sure what is happening to the ornaments dipped and the next day sprayed with Deft. They felt very dry.

[Danny]

Heres what I was taught here....Mix the BLO with 50/50 part Mineral Spirits.  Helps a lot with the drying time and looks Great.  Also can use the Danish Oil products.  Have different colors.
I personally prefer to use Lacquer for the final finish.  Spray can.  It drys pretty fast and always needs a few coats.  My 2 cents....  Danny  :+}

[Keefie]

Danny's right, BLO/mineral spirits in a 50/50 mix should dry overnight, then next day 2 coats of lacquer to give it a nice shine and protect it.

[EIEIO]

If you're working with BB Ply, you might try 1 or 2 coats of shellac. I like to use Bulls Eye and apply it with a brush, but you can get spray shellac also. It gives a slight orange tinge to the birch - looks warmer than straight birch. You can sand the top coat with 0000 steel wool to get a great sheen, and use the steel wool to rub in some paste wax to get a different feel to it.

Shellac is a resin dissolved in alcohol so it dries quickly - about an hour between coats. You need denatured alcohol to clean the brush.