A new finish

[Kittyhawk]

Today the final coat of teak oil was applied to a model wooden helicopter and it was a disaster. Maybe salvageable, maybe not.
Don't want to go into details, just to say that I'm over Briwax Teak Oil. I'm done with it. Forever.
So looking for an alternative.
I don't have an airbrush, rattle cans gives an orange peel finish and varnish, brush marks.
I note that wooden ship modellers will use shellac applied with an artists brush on their work with great results.
I assume this is like French polishing with a brush instead of a pad which would suit me.
I'm not after the beautiful deep lustre high gloss finish that furniture makers aspire to, just a medium gloss brush stroke free finish.
So shellac appeals, and looking for advice on this or any other suitable product. Thanks

 

[profchris]

You could try Tru Oil, a gunstock finish also used for musical instruments. It's effectively a wiping varnish. Pretty foolproof if applied as instructed.

Downsides: you need several coats, and it smells for about a week as it cures. Not unpleasant, but noticeable.

I've brushed shellac and had brush marks. Thinned shellac can be wiped on very successfully (but slow to build a film).

If you're not looking for full gloss, try wiping shellac first. You can get 4 coats on in a day, and 4 is enough for a sheen.

 

[John Hall]

I don’t get orange peel with aerosols, or brush marks with varnish,….I’d keep practicing

 

[geraldmartin]

Have a look at Liberon Finishing Oil.

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[Kittyhawk]

I don’t get orange peel with aerosols, or brush marks with varnish,….I’d keep practicing

Could be, but it's also a matter of perception.
Aerosol spray a chair, stand back and look at it and it's great. Spray a model aeroplane, hold it 6 inches in front of a critical eyeball, not so much.
According to Dulux who make most of our aerosol sprays some orange peel is a fact of life with aerosols, the quality of the finish and the amount of orange peel depending on the pressure within the can which is infinitely variable due to temperature, amount remaining etc.
Apart from aeroplanes the other two things I occasionally build to order are Inuit style kayak paddles and walking sticks. These are finished with boiled linseed oil which produces a truly beautiful finish and I would dearly love to use in on the aircraft. The problem with linseed oil is that the item needs a very vigorous rub down 15 minutes after each application which is not practicable for a somewhat delicate model.

 

[sihollies]

Tru oil is a good shout as it is easy to apply and I personally have had pretty good results in the past, but like profchris states; the smell does linger for a while and it has a relatively slow curing process.
If you happen to go down this route, could i suggest that you place clean glass marbles or similar in the Tru oil bottle as the container empties, to displace the liquid in the bottle.
I have found that this product can spoil quite quickly & this action reduces the amount of air in the bottle, thus extending the shelf life.
Basic stuff, I know, but just thought I would mention it.

Good luck

 

[Fergie 307]

Could be, but it's also a matter of perception.
Aerosol spray a chair, stand back and look at it and it's great. Spray a model aeroplane, hold it 6 inches in front of a critical eyeball, not so much.
According to Dulux who make most of our aerosol sprays some orange peel is a fact of life with aerosols, the quality of the finish and the amount of orange peel depending on the pressure within the can which is infinitely variable due to temperature, amount remaining etc.
Apart from aeroplanes the other two things I occasionally build to order are Inuit style kayak paddles and walking sticks. These are finished with boiled linseed oil which produces a truly beautiful finish and I would dearly love to use in on the aircraft. The problem with linseed oil is that the item needs a very vigorous rub down 15 minutes after each application which is not practicable for a somewhat delicate model.

Might be worth trying Rustoleum spray varnish, if it's available where you are. I find it is far easier to get a really good finish with their aerosols than any others I have used. They do matt and satin versions as well as high gloss, and a bewildering variety of colours. Worth checking a test piece for compatability with the black you use for your glazing, just in case it reacts. Depending on the type of finish you may find it works better at lower temperatures, so the finish has more time to flow out and settle any marks before it starts to set.

 

[Stevekane]

Having owned a boat Ive done a fair bit of varnishing, mainly using polyurethane varnishes, both semi gloss and gloss, and my tip would be to thin the varnish at least 50/50 with white spirit, a very light coat will soak in and allow you to nib it with some very fine paper, 3 or four coats seemed to do it. Never use it straight out of the tin. This also worked well on indoor things like “natural wood” window cills and the like where I seal the wood with a couple of very thin coats flattened off then finished with Briwax, gives a nice not glossy finish thats very hard wearing.

 

[Beatsy]

For a really easy gloss finish, try Coloron finishing oil. Wipe on and rub in with a rag, wipe excess off after an hour. Leave for a day, then buff. Extra coats will give a bit more gloss but will also darken the finish more.

Brush on shellac is easy and reliable too, but you do need to "rub out" at the end to get a good finish. That might not be so easy on an intricate and/or curvy surface (assuming that's what a model helicopter has), but it's doable.

 

[recipio]

I've posted before about the Chestnut range of spray lacquers. They seem to last a while in the can and are available in solvent and acrylic finishes. The trick is to heat the can in hot water for a few mins and use one of those spray handles as the can will be too hot to hold. The Melamine spray gives a nice even gloss finish. I tried a spray polyurethane once but was disappointed with the finish. Apart from that have you considered using transparent French polish. ?

 

[Sideways]

Apart from aeroplanes the other two things I occasionally build to order are Inuit style kayak paddles and walking sticks. These are finished with boiled linseed oil which produces a truly beautiful finish ...

I'd love to see some photos of one of your kayak paddles. Please consider putting up a thread if you have any photos you're happy with.
Thanks

 

[Kittyhawk]

Thanks for the replies.
I may have been a bit hasty regarding Briwax Teak Oil. But in my defence I'm probably a bit pedantic and tend to believe the instructions written on the tin, and what was written was the vague 'allow overnight drying between coats.' So I figured that 24 hours at average 22°C should be OK.
After this time the oil felt dry to the touch but the subsequent coat interacted with the previous one and made something of a mess.
However, allowing 3 days between coats gives a totally different ( and acceptable ) result.
Temperatures are warm but with a lot of rain and high humidity at the moment so perhaps that was the cause of the long curing time.

 

[pauljhaigh58]

I got recommended poly one by my decorator evidently you can add your own stain to it as well /U.K. made just tried it on a model goes a long way . Very helpful people and loads of options