A really tough finish!

[scouserjoe]

Evening all.
Can anyone help me? I need to find a finish that is tough enough to resist denting/marking when coins are dropped onto a collection plate. The plate is made with oak sides and american hard maple base.

Any advice would be very welcome.

Thanks

 

[AndyT]

Hard wax oil from Osmo or Chestnut should fit the bill. Easy to brush or wipe on. It soaks into the surface so doesn't flake or peel off. Tough as old boots.

 

[MIGNAL]

Not that I've ever used the stuff but I can't work out how something like Hard wax Oil ever gets hard enough. According to the blurb it contains natural Oils and waxes. I don't know any drying Oil or wax that gets that hard, especially without some high resin content. . .
But what do I know.
BTW. Hard and tough aren't quite the same thing when it comes to finishes. Tough implies that it can take the knocks without flaking off in chunks.

 

[Grahamshed]

Not that I know much about such things but isn't the beauty of an oil or wax finish that it soaks in and doesn't really form a skin to flake or chip off ? The hardness of the wood should stop coins from denting it much and the finish just make it look nice ????

But like I said, I dont know much.

 

[Matt@]

I find the harder the wood the "harder" the finish. Thats why pine will always mark unless its finished with an appreciable coat of tough lacquer....

 

[Sgian Dubh]

For a really tough finish you might consider epoxy resin, and you'll find an example at the link below. You would need to experiment to decide if it's appropriate and something you (or your customer[?]) likes, and you'd also have to decide if you want to spend the time getting the appearance you want, e.g., matte, satin, high gloss, etc. Epoxy finishes aren't generally a simple apply, let dry and use routine -- there's usually a bit more to it than that in the form of buffing, levelling out, and so on. Slainte.
http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/product ... resin.aspx

 

[MIGNAL]

A Flooring varnish? I don't mean the stuff that is essentially Oil but an 'old fashioned' modern resin Oil varnish. something that contains Phenolic and Urerthane perhaps. Kind of thing that Ronseal do.

 

[Leif]

There is a post I came across - I've lost the link - from someone who applied hard wax oil to a floor roughly, left it a few weeks, then was unable to get it smooth because it was too hard. It contains Carnauba wax. Doesn't that set hard? It is used on floors so it should be tough.

I'm actually interested in more experiences with hard wax oil, as I am tempted to try it in place of Danish oil on a chest of drawers, and then finish with Briwax.

 

[AndyT]

It's interesting stuff this hard wax oil. There was a discussion a while back where someone suggested mixing your own which led to a closer look at the ingredients. IIRC, it has wax and oils in it but also some undisclosed other ingredients which presumably provide the magic powers. I used it on my chair-steps and it shows no sign of having been stood on at all. Very impressive stuff.

 

[Graham Orm]

Polyurethane varnish? or would it chip?

 

[MIGNAL]

Carnauba is a hard wax but won't offer a great deal of protection by itself. A fingernail will easily mark it.
If hard wax Oil contains other 'things', that no doubt explains why it does get hard. Actually even Shellac is pretty hard. Try taking a flake or a button and scratching it.

 

[Peter Sefton]

Hard wax oil is very easy to recoat if required that's why it’s used for floors, have you considered Rustin’s Plastic Coating
http://www.rustins.eu/Details.asp?ProductID=857
We find it is one of the hardest wearing and durable internal finishes that can be hand applied, if you get your timing right you can reapply coats every 45 minutes or so, great for bar tops that need to be finished overnight.

 

[scouserjoe]

Thanks for all the advice. I will need to experiment. The project is 6 collection plates for a local church: no profit!
It would be good if the collection was a 'silent' one, i.e. all notes, but it I imagine it will be the usual mix of coins and notes! No problem there,of course, every penny counts.

Enjoy what you do.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

+ 1 for R.P.C., but have you thought about lining your trays/dishes with suede or leather. It would be quiet, and could be changed when tatty.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Peter - I did two bar counters with R.P.C. and they are both wearing through at the edges. It was 26 and 24 years ago, though :lol:
If I did them again, I wouldn't risk more than three coats at a time though. I got some awful dimpling which I couldn't cure ( bad choice of word!), which I found out a few years later was due to the top coats drying completely while the coats underneath had retained some solvent. I had used six coats overnight - given how resistant the stuff is, if I felt I needed that coverage now, I would do three and leave it for a week or so before finishing.

 

[Peter Sefton]

You are right Phil more than three coats a day will probably cause drying issues, trapping solvent or uncured finish. It may show as (orange Peel)
Cheers for the clarification Peter