One more teak question...
- Thread starter Brian D
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I always oil before varnishing
after a light sanding as it brings out the color and grain in the wood. You should plan on wiping down your work with acetone before varnishing if you want to be really anal about it. The end result will look much ruddier than if you had not used teak oil. Varnish has been around for a long time; centuries at least. In its most primitive form it was made with an oil like linseed oil which was heated with pine sap or tar (amber) dissolved into it and mixed with turpentine or such. Todays varnishes have so many other ingredients for UV protection, durability, accelerants etc but I bet they still use some form of oil for the basic 'varnish'. To actually read the label on my can of Interlux Schooner varnish I need my reading glasses and I am not sure they do even list the ingredients as it is not intended for human consumption. I still like the smell of varnish though. If you do not believe me check out what wikipedia has to say about varnish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varnish Good luck and enjoy doing your brightwork.
after a light sanding as it brings out the color and grain in the wood. You should plan on wiping down your work with acetone before varnishing if you want to be really anal about it. The end result will look much ruddier than if you had not used teak oil. Varnish has been around for a long time; centuries at least. In its most primitive form it was made with an oil like linseed oil which was heated with pine sap or tar (amber) dissolved into it and mixed with turpentine or such. Todays varnishes have so many other ingredients for UV protection, durability, accelerants etc but I bet they still use some form of oil for the basic 'varnish'. To actually read the label on my can of Interlux Schooner varnish I need my reading glasses and I am not sure they do even list the ingredients as it is not intended for human consumption. I still like the smell of varnish though. If you do not believe me check out what wikipedia has to say about varnish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varnish Good luck and enjoy doing your brightwork.
Notes from the old school.
As an old school wood butcher, furnture maker and refinisher, I have to disagree with both prior posters, but also observe that they are not exactly "wrong". That said, I never use anything finer than 120 grit on teak. It has been my experience that finer grit sanding clogs up the pores and interferes with both an even application of stain (the best way to get the color you desire) and the bond of your varnish. Second, it has always been my practice to wipe teak with acetone prior to glue up as the oil interferes with the adhesive bond. As a result of assembly lessons learned, I now do the same prior to finishing and for the same reason. I often get several years out of finishes if they are not damaged and I attribute that durability to good preperation and maximizing the adhesive bond of the varnish. So, the posters clearly aren't wrong, it is just more likely that their finish work will not last as long as it might otherwise.
As an old school wood butcher, furnture maker and refinisher, I have to disagree with both prior posters, but also observe that they are not exactly "wrong". That said, I never use anything finer than 120 grit on teak. It has been my experience that finer grit sanding clogs up the pores and interferes with both an even application of stain (the best way to get the color you desire) and the bond of your varnish. Second, it has always been my practice to wipe teak with acetone prior to glue up as the oil interferes with the adhesive bond. As a result of assembly lessons learned, I now do the same prior to finishing and for the same reason. I often get several years out of finishes if they are not damaged and I attribute that durability to good preperation and maximizing the adhesive bond of the varnish. So, the posters clearly aren't wrong, it is just more likely that their finish work will not last as long as it might otherwise.
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