Can I have your thoughts on wood finishes?

paulb

paulb

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I have used in the past different mixes of Minwax - natural, light oak, ebony etc. Oleg who is building a fantastic model of the Bonhomme Richard uses tung oil mixed with bitumen but I can’t find enything like that in the US. This is what he uses:
View media item 2909
His usage of this darkens the edges like caulking and looks really nice. I’ve also seen nice results from watco danish oil in fruitwood.

Any thoughts on what works well for you?
 
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paulb said:
I have used in the past different mixes of Minwax - natural, light oak, ebony, etc. Oleg who is building a fantastic model of the Bonhomme Richard uses tung oil mixed with bitumen but I can’t find anything like that in the US. This is what he uses:
Click to expand...
Hi Paul, I could be mistaken, but this product is not available in the US, at least I had no luck finding it. I found a bit different brand (same product) and bought a few bottles many years ago on Blick (an art supply store). It is lasting very long as you need just drops in the mix. What proportions exactly? You will need to experiment. There is no exact recipe.

IMG_1153.jpeg
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This is the Italian product, but have distributors in the US.
 
paulb said:
I have used in the past different mixes of Minwax - natural, light oak, ebony etc. Oleg who is building a fantastic model of the Bonhomme Richard uses tung oil mixed with bitumen but I can’t find enything like that in the US. This is what he uses:
View media item 2909
His usage of this darkens the edges like caulking and looks really nice. I’ve also seen nice results from watco danish oil in fruitwood.

Any thoughts on what works well for you?
Click to expand...
Paul
I searched high and wide for what you are looking for. What I found was in Europe only and shipping it over here was going to be a nightmare if not impossible.
look into purchasing some pine tar and mix up your own concoction. Not that difficult just a bit of inconvenience.

john
 
 
I am afraid danish oil does not have "aging" effect as aging varnish with bitumen does. Bitumen particles do not penetrate inside of wood and work as paint pigment. Artist applies bitumen varnish over wood surface and tries to wipe it out with cloth leaving more bitumen in wood depressions. This gives this highlighting aging effect. I doubt danish oil has this ability.
 
Has anyone used milk paint in your wood finishing? I’ve also been looking at art bitumen, I guess that could be diluted with tung oil.

I would love to hear your favorite wood finishing techniques. So far I’ve just used Minwax natural the most. I’ve applied a thin coat with a brush then wipe off any extra, or apply with a rag then wipe off any extra.

I’ve just googled this subject and have found quite a bit of information so I now feel better informed. That said I would still appreciate any insights that you have.
 
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