Minwax wipe-on Poly

[andrewm]

A review of wipe on finishes in this months FWW concluded that the best (and one of the cheapest) was the Minwax wipe-on Poly. Anyone know if this is available in the UK? I would like to give it a go.

Andrew

 

[andrewm]

I'll take that as a no then.

 

[Chris Knight]

Andrew, I don't think those products are available here - at least as branded goods. Functional equivalents abound and frankly, I think you would be hard pushed to see major differences between most brands we do have.

FWIW (and maybe this is Granny speaking of eggs?) wiping varnishes etc. are simply finishes that are sufficiently thinned as to be able to be applied by a rag, rubber etc. Thus, it is easy to thin oil based products - just add white spirits - but hopeless to add enough water to the typical waterborne varnish - to produce a wiping finish.

Just grab any old oil based poly, thin it with white spirits and you have a wiping (poly) varnish. You will have a finish that is dead easy to apply and doesn't show brush marks but you will need two or three coats to equate to one coat of an unthinned, brushed finish.

 

[Les Mahon]

Chris,

You must do mind reading in your spare time! I was just going to post the exact question of where do you get wipe on finishes here.

Thanks for that
Les

 

[Chris Knight]

Les,
I am glad the timing was serendipitous!

 

[Matt1245]

How about making your own wipe on varnish?

I was given this recipe: 1/3 pure tung oil, 1/3 poly varnish and 1/3 boiled linseed oil. I have not tried it yet, but will be doing soon. I know others have used it and liked the results.

Matt.

 

[Ed451]

Andrew,

I'm a subscriber to FWW but I gotta tell ya, that article is PURE CRAP! I've tried a couple of cans of Minwax Wipe-on, and also made my own using equal parts boiled linseed oil, regular oil-based poly and turpentine. I much prefer my own concoction: it goes on equally well and makes a nicer, IMHO, finish to woods like birds-eye maple, etc. that I've tried it on so far. Oh, and it dries overnight too. Hope this helps.

I bought some Tried & True Varnish Oil, too, because Chris Becksvoort swears by it. Haven't tried it yet, though.

Ed

 

[garywayne]

Andrew.

I have a copy of "Popular Woodworking Finishing & Refinishing". There is an article on wipe-on finishing. In the article there is a piece on Making your own.

You can easily make your own wiping varnish or oil/varnish blend. To make a wiping varnish, thin any oil-based varnish or polyurethane with mineral spirits (paint thinner)until you reach a thinness that's easy to wipe on. The higher the ratio of finish the faster it will build, so begin with as little as 25 percent mineral spirits and increase the amount if this doesn't give you enough working time.
To make an oil/varnish blend, mix any brand of oil-based varnish or polyurethane varnish in any proportion with linseed oil or tung oil. The higher the ratio of varnish you use, the glossier, more protective and durable the finish. The higher the ratio of oil you use, the longer the working time.
If the mixture is to thick for your tastes, thin it with mineral spirits. As with wiping varnish, it doesn't take much thinner to make a big difference in the viscosity of the finish. Commercial brands of wiping varnish and oil/varnish blend are thinned far more than they need to be.

I hope this is of some help to someone.
Good luck.

ATB Gary.