Russ, given your comment in regard to finishes, do you have a suggestion ?
Ok, just remember, you asked!
The two major categories of finishes are film and penetrating (oil) type finishes. Each has their benefits and drawbacks.
Film finishes, as their name indicates, leave behind a film of solids on top of the surface. These include shellac, varnish and polyurethanes (both solvent and water based) in order of the amount of protection they offer. Shellac is the easiest to use, but offers the least protection, especially to water and alcohol. Multiple coats do not require sanding (other than to remove dust nibs), because each successive coat partially dissolves the previous one and forms a chemical bond to it. Varnishes and polys require scuffing between coats because successive coats need a "tooth" to form a mechanical bond to. Marine varnishes and some polys offer UV protection which will help slow down (nothing can prevent) the darkening of the wood from exposure to UV light (even from a window).
Oil finishes include tung, linseed and others. Most name brands like Watco are really just boiled linseed. Boiled? Most oil finishes take a
very long time to cure unless they have driers added to them. Tung and raw linseed will take days to weeks to cure. Boiled linseed is not really boiled, it just has those driers added to speed up cure time. The advantages of oil finishes are that they are easy to apply, don't require sanding between coats and they really bring out the figure of the wood and add a lot of warmth to it. The downside is that they offer very little protection at all. This is not really that important for a ship model that probably won't be handled that much or exposed to the elements, but the wood will darken quicker with exposure to UV.
My personal opinion is that film finishes make a model ship look "plastic-y". Oil finishes really enhance the beauty of the wood, but offer no protection and the best of them all - tung - takes forever to cure. Hmmm, what to do?
In the early 2000's, I briefly tried making a living as a professional woodturner along with teaching the craft to others. Unfortunately, if you recall, that was right when the US economy started tanking and we were entering a recession. People just stopped spending their discretionary income on artistic things, so I had to go back and get a "real job".
I did, however, have the opportunity to try a lot of different finishes on my work and settled on one that quickly became my favorite. Unfortunately, you can't buy it in any store.
You have to make it.
It's called "Old Timer's Finish" and you make it by blending equal parts of high gloss marine varnish (not poly), pure tung oil (available at WoodCraft or other woodworking supply stores), and solvent (you can use mineral spirits, but I prefer turpentine 'cause I like the smell.) I know, weird! I mix it in small batches because it will tend to gel after 2 or 3 weeks. About two fl. ounces (60 ml) of each. The amount is not critical, as long as it is equal. I use 6 oz. poly squeeze bottles from Michaels (in the cake decorating dept.) to mix it. I just draw two lines around the circumference with a marker to give me 3 equal portions and just add ingredients to the lines, then shake. It's easy to squeeze out onto a cloth and when you're done, squeeze all the air out before putting the cap on and it till last much longer. It's the oxygen that makes it gel. Do the same with the tung oil bottle, and transfer it to a smaller bottle when you can no longer squeeze all the air out.
Anyway, It works because all the ingredients are compatible with one another and you apply it as you would a wipe-on varnish or poly - with a cloth. Here's how it works: The tung oil really brings out the figure and beauty of the wood. The marine varnish offers UV and touch protection, and has the driers that the tung oil needs to cure. The turpentine thins it enough to allow it to penetrate deeply. Two light coats will give you a beautiful, hand-rubbed look to the wood. Three or more, and you will start to get more of a film build-up, but I think that would detract from the model and make it look like plastic.
Prepare your wood by sanding thoroughly
with the grain, progressing through the grits. Don't skip from 120 to 400 - trust me,
it won't work. I would probably stop at 600 or 800. That means start at 120 (or if your wood is already pretty smooth, 180), then progress up the grits - 180, 240, 320, 400, 600, 800. The first grit is final shaping and removal of tool marks. All successive grits are simply removing the scratches from previous grits. The finish (any finish) will make sanding scratches pop like a sore thumb,
especially if sanded across the grain even once. Also, don't use a piece of 120 grit until it dulls and then call it 320. That doesn't work, it's dull - throw it away. A highly respected mentor of mine once told me, "Use sandpaper as if someone else were paying for it." When it's dull, it will stop cutting and only burnish the surface, locking in the existing scratches and making it harder for successive grits to do their job. It's a kind of "work hardening."
Finally, whatever you do, please stay away from water-based poly finishes. I know, they're easy to get, easy to clean up and have little odor.
BUT, they don't bring out the beauty of the wood like oil and just make it look dull and lifeless.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Stepping down from my soapbox now.
