Question about Finishing

[countryscroller]

I just lemon oiled a project that I made. I was curious what kinds of spray lacquer or a type of clear coat to seal the lemon smell and feel you guys use? I have always used Deft, is there another kind that you guys use that may work better or be cheaper? Thanks.

[mrsn]

I often use rustoleum clear (the painters touch, 2x coverage can) it is a bit cheaper the most of the laqurers I have and I swear you really do get twice the coverage. I also use it for anything painted because it it is clear and won't mess with paint color.

[BilltheDiver]

Bullseye shellac is another good choice.  Like lacquer it dries in minutes and doesn't require sanding between coats because lacquer and shellac partially dissolve the previous coats with the application of a new one.  Lacquer is thinned or cleaned up with lacquer thinner, while shellac is thinned or cleanup is done with denatured alcohol.  Both are natural finishes which are food safe after thorough drying.  My favorite method is a few coats followed by applying furniture wax with 0000 steel wool.  It gives a nice luster and a really smooth feel to the wood.

[countryscroller]

Thanks, I appreciate the replies.

[Intarsia92]

I have tried about everything on the market for putting a finish on Intarsias over the past 20 sum years and I currently prefer Deft Satin lacquer spray.

[GrayBeard]

I'm with Al on this one....Deft or Minwax Satin spray lacquer...sanded between coats with a folded piece of Kraft grocery bag.

~~~GB~~~

[Becky]

I use Deft myself but I have quit using the lemon oil.  I found it just yellowed white woods too much and, maybe I didn't let it sit long enough before spraying but I also found it could seep through the lacquer (maybe I am a bad lacquer sprayer too).  I know many here use the 50/50 BLO mix but I have been happy with Danish Oil.  A bit more pricey but I like they way it looks and I put a lot of time into my projects so that matters to me more than a few extra bucks here and there.  It takes a long time to use up a whole can of the stuff after all.

I keep saying I am going to try the BLO mix but I never got around to buying and mixing the stuff.  Let's just say it is on my bucket list.   

[tbolt]

Just switched to blo&ms 50/50 from Danish oil haven't seen any wrong with it. Any secrets I should know??

[countryscroller]

I use Deft myself but I have quit using the lemon oil.  I found it just yellowed white woods too much and, maybe I didn't let it sit long enough before spraying but I also found it could seep through the lacquer (maybe I am a bad lacquer sprayer too).  I know many here use the 50/50 BLO mix but I have been happy with Danish Oil.  A bit more pricey but I like they way it looks and I put a lot of time into my projects so that matters to me more than a few extra bucks here and there.  It takes a long time to use up a whole can of the stuff after all.

I keep saying I am going to try the BLO mix but I never got around to buying and mixing the stuff.  Let's just say it is on my bucket list.   

  The note you said about it yellowing white woods happened to me with this project. I am making a video of it, but I made a bowl from purple heart and poplar. When I finished it, the poplar ended up looking like yellow heart, in this case it made it look good with the purple contrast. But I can understand in other cases. I will have to give Danish Oil a try in the future.

[Becky]

Just for future reference if you give it a go, I bought a cheap cake pan (13 x 8 I think) and pout the oil into that for use.  When done, I just pour the oil into a large mason jar.  It's easy to get it into the wide-mouth mason jar but you'd need a funnel to get it back into the can.  Just be sure to clean the outside of the jar's lip after pouring or the stuff left there can make the lid really tough if not impossible to get off the next time.