advice on finishes for my rocking horses

[mac1012]

hi i would like some advice on finishes for my rocking horses

at the moment i coat them with extra virgin olive oil the give them a couple of coats of child safe hard wearing varnish

the problem is brushing the varnish on is very time consuming and fiddley and was looking at any alternatives

i have brought a aerosol varnish from chestnut but i have to first coat wood with sanding seeler then re sand etc which dosent seem to be less time consuming

i wondered if there was any oils that provide a hard finish or waxes ? or if any other methods of applying varnish such as pads etc

any advice would be great thanks mark

 

[AndyT]

Hard Wax Oil from Chestnut or Osmo is good - you can apply by brush, pad, rag or even rub it on with your fingers! As with other oil finishes, you put it on generously and wipe the surplus off with a clean cloth before it has hardened. Most woods will need two or three coats, especially if you want it glossy. The finish is really tough and hard wearing; it's also safe for toys etc.

 

[mac1012]

thanks andy sounds really interesting ill have a look at that

this might be a daft question but when you say hard wearing would it be similar to varnish ?

mark

 

[AndyT]

thanks andy sounds really interesting ill have a look at that

this might be a daft question but when you say hard wearing would it be similar to varnish ?

mark

That depends what you mean by varnish!

Varnish is a solution of various types of gum or resin, dissolved in water, spirit or oil. Nowadays you could include synthetic polymers such as polyurethane alongside the natural ones. So there is a huge range there.

It's probably simpler to say that the modern hard wax oils are suitable for surfaces in constant use such as worktops and resist hot water and alcohol. Unlike some varnishes, they don't form a surface layer which can be scraped off the wood - they soak into the wood itself. If they do wear (eg by abrasion) it's easy to wipe some more oil on - there is no need to strip the old finish off first.

 

[mac1012]

ok thanks i guess what i meant was ability to take knocks etc i use whats called diamond hard varnish (but it isnt ) but would probaly protect againt some abuse ! just looking for something that would give it some protection as the wood i use is not hard wood but soft so i varnish them to give a level of protection from knocks and i was looking for something thats easier to apply but would give a level of protection against knocks similar to ythe varnish but maybe thats a tall order :roll:

mark