I'm stoked to see others using recipes so similar to my own! My recipe is a foodsafe hodgepodge from 3-4 sources. The wood whisperer, an unnamed grand master of all things wood, CA compliance, and my decision making. There are 3 major differences between our mixes, but they are quite small really. I use 100% d-limonene as my orange oil solvent (alliance chemical) $68/gal delivered from amazon. I use 99% isopropyl as my other solvent for California compliance. It dissolves shellac great. I don't even grind the flakes, I bag and smash. I might try not doing anything next. $69 for 4 gallons delivered from amazon... Our major difference is in our oils. I use a blend of tung and raw linseed. The linseed I use is from nordicare and its clear, to offset the color of the tung. I prefer a co-polymer when I'm in control of the polymerization. If I needed a clearer finish though I could just use the linseed. I also add microcrystalline wax into the mix. I feel it adds smoothness to the wax. The d-limonene and tung oil come from the wood whisperer, the linseed/ copolymer stuff is from the unnamed grand Master (also used by me in seasoning cast iron for a stronger polymer and where I drew correlations from), the isopropyl was a mix of California compliance and my own testing/decision making. The whole thing kind of became my decision making based off how many products there are and my penchant for testing things. I'm half into making my own custom made stains now, so much fun. And the best stain results I've had. I'm mixing it right into my oil mix! With a dash of isopropyl to start the color mixing (mixol pigments). I'm totally messing around, and now moving into isopropyl and water for testing dyes.
Would this work on walnut, white oak, cherry, maple and other plywood made from premium hardwoods. I am looking for a good finish for walnut (and other) plywood for making premium cornhole boards. The question I have is, how much damage would this treatment take (cornhole boards) before it needs refinishing?
This is one of my mixes as well (basically) It's surprisingly close to rubio monocoat. It's just missing the hardener/drier to cure the oil fast. Which is also what my mix is missing. He mentioned Japan drier, but I don't think that's what's in rubio monocaots hardener. I heard somone mention it. I think it was stumpy nubs. It becomes the same as rubio monocoat, rubio just gets there faster. And approaches epoxy coating on cost after the 2nd coat.
Video starts, recipe is immediately given away, yet I'm still here watching. I'm not a woodworker, I watch your videos for your design process. I enjoy the way you are always looking for new ways to accomplish what you are trying to do. This is another one of those. Your insights on creating and using this finish and your thought process were far more important to me than the recipe.
If you want the shellac to dissolve faster I would think about getting a stir bar and magnetic plate so that you can have it continuously stirring and not settling out
18 seconds in and I paused to comment. I am watching the entire video no matter what because you didn't tease everyone and only provide the recipe at the end. you rock already 😊
For long term stability testing coatings companies fill a small glass jar with the coating and place it in an oven at 40°C. They then check the jars weekly and evaluate the state simply by inverting the jar, no need to open the lid, if the formula is unstable you will see gelling in the jar or a thickening of the formula. A good formulation should last many months. This evaluation will also give you an idea of the compatibility of the components together, there maybe separation which is acceptable if the components go back into solution simply by shaking the jar.
@@brandonhoffman4712 these ovens are laboratory hot boxes and not like a domestic oven, they will run for years. I was a laboratory technician developing industrial coatings and we never switched the stability ovens off, not even over the Christmas break.
@@colinbates9563 I was trying to wrap my head around costs associated with performing such a test. It's quickly scaling out of reach! Once the word laboratory gets brought up, it's all over for me.
Yes it is. This man is approaching his own rubio monocoat type mix. I stumbled into this process myself 3 months ago. His process is very similar to my own. Ours both even smell like oranges and are food safe. This finish will last on a cutting board for 3 months while receiving daily scrubdowns with detergent based cleaners. Far more than can be asked of your average mineral oil based cutting board oil or wax. The only bummer is the wax forms it's own skin. But it stands testament to its protection.
I'm old, so I remember Homer Formby hawking his formula on TV. He is now a multi-millionaire. The young people need you now, go for it. Nice finish, and I would buy it. I don't need all the chem to make it myself, so yes, I would buy it from you.
Great Video! I make all my finishes out of shellac, linsed oil, walnut oil, bees- and carnubawax. I love the smell and that its free of chemicals. For bright mit woods like Maple, I recommend walnut oil, it although hardens good, smells even better and dose not yellow the Wood that much. Thanks you for all the great Videos! Sorry for my spelling, greetings from Germany.
Coatings Chemist here. I can comment on ingredients for what it is worth. ;) Raw Linseed oil is thin and takes a long time to dry by itself. This can be adjusted by Heating (Boiling) it to gradually pre-oxidize the oils until it reaches a viscosity that is more desirable, and this also speeds up the drying process by pre-reacting some of the oil. This process can be stopped at any point, giving more or less of these benefits as desired, so you'll find many grades of boiled linseed oil on the market, mostly based on viscosity. When thickened past a certain point, it needs a bit of solvent to make handling easier. Raw linseed is the lowest viscosity and is the least refined, it will penetrate the most and bring out the grain quite well. Thicker boiled linseed oils will penetrate less, and bring out a bit less grain highlighting. You can combine the two to get some of the best of both worlds. Linseed is only partially soluble in ethanol, maybe about 10%, which is why your final finish is milky looking and probably separates. You might be able to increase stability by adding a natural emulsifier like lecithin. Linseed oil is very soft, and it yellows more than most oils over time. Tung oil is hard and more water resistant. It tends to want to wrinkle a lot if it dries too fast (for example with Japan Drier). It might be better than the Linseed in your final wax coat, could be interesting to try. Dehydrated castor oil is known for being almost water clear among the drying oils. Denatured alcohol is ethanol with (most often) some methanol in it. Sometimes foul-tasting agents are also used. Buying the Everclear and signing the "not for human consumption" document likely avoided a liquor tax... These are of course super flammable so keeping ANY source of heat or electricity usage away from them is really important. Shellac or Lacquers are generally considered to be not recoatable with anything but more lacquer, as oils and acrylics don't like to adhere to them strongly. In your system, it's perfectly fine, but good to note in case you were doing a table top that you wanted to put a polyurethane on later. In that case, you'd want to test thoroughly on scraps to make sure you get the adhesion you need for that project. An alternative to the shellac might be a purified pine rosin (staying natural) called Colophony. Amazon B00LFPRS0O for reference. Colophony might dissolve into the linseed by itself, or into some raw linseed, without the need for the alcohols... Might need a bit of heat though. (I haven't done this, just thinking with you.) (Most of my work uses alkyds, oils, and mineral spirits with other chemical additives for exterior durability/use.) Without chemical driers added (Japan Drier, Cobalt, Manganese, Zinc, Zirconium, Calcium, etc.) the risk of spontaneous combustion is much less, as the drying process is quite delayed. Still, it is good to hang rags to dry for a day or two (until they are hard/crispy) before throwing them away. There are many tragic fires every year caused by the improper disposal of oily rags! I love your passion for finding and creating a finish that suits your needs!
I need help. I have an antique desk which I promised my daughter that I would fix up. It's a gorgeous Edwardian style (?) desk with scrolled hinged lids. It's a darker wood with a fine blonde inlay border on every surface. It has tapered legs with square cup beaded edge brass castors. It has a dark finish shellac. There are many areas that were white-ish which I think I've come to understand is old wax. I've never worked with shellac but but when I learned that one could reconstitute it with alcohol, I was excited. That excitement was short-lived because this has turned into a nightmare. Because of those whitish areas and because it had some staining it had a lot of rehydrating of the shellac which produced tinted reconstituted shellac. It was going well as I used an artist brush to touch up damaged finishing areas like cup rings, water damage, etc.. It was going well but I was running out of reconstituted shellac and I couldn't take it from anywhere else on the piece. I was running out of shellac so I bought Zinzer in a quart can and an aerosol spray to see which would worked better. BIG MISTAKE. I used sprayed on shellac first thinking that might be easier and being for more familiar with polyurethanes, but discovered that this new shellac wasn't blending with the old shellac. Or was acting like a stripper of sorts making it kind of wrinkly. The spray also has an orange peel that I don't like. I then tried to use some straight alcohol to gently go over the top hoping that it would reflow but that didn't work either and it looks like hell I don't want to strip this desk but I don't know what else to do. What the hell is wrong with this Zinzer crap! 😡 Now I Have stopped working on it because I was so discouraged but she's upset that I'm not finishing the desk. I don't know where to go from here. I can't seem to get a good damn finish no matter what I do. It's streaky. It doesn't lay down well. It's thick and thin in spots. I was excited to use shellac as it could somewhat be reconstitute d... but now I freakin' hate it! 😡😡😡 I bought some darker/ purple shellac flakes and I tried to make my own thinking that something was wrong with the Zinnzer shallac that's a pain in the ass.
A beautiful safe finish with little effort! Thank you so much for sharing and giving such in-depth explanation of the why and how. It would be a good idea to educate the customer on how and when to reapply the finish and supply them with a small batch of it with the furniture - I really doubt anyone needs PU if a little attention is given to maintain valuable handmade furniture. This is the kind of content I want more on RUclips!
I have been waiting on this video since you first brought it up on the podcast. I was talking to someone about this all natural finish on the way home today. Then I get home and it’s been released. I’m hyped to make a batch and try it out. I also think it’s awesome to basically make this an open source project. Much respect.
Hello, just came across your video on my time line and boy am I glad for it! I love to prepare my own stains and finishes but always struggled with all natural recipes. Yours is the perfect combination of simplicity and quality. No doubt I'll try it. Last but not least: thanks for putting this freely on RUclips instead of making it a patreon-only content. I'm a firm believer in spreading knowledge.
That is exactly the same rabbit hole I fell into a few months ago! It feels so good to see this tried and proven by someone with way more experience than me, thank you!
Thank you for this!! I’ve been spinning my wheels with finishes, trying every type I could find and never feeling totally satisfied with the outcome. This finish is amazing.
I have been using shellac flakes and love how the finish dries so quickly. Two days and your done and no smell in the shop. What I have been looking into is what you can add to the shellac to make it into a satin finish. One was silica, and another was a product that could be purchased from a finishing company where it seemed that every ingredient had a msds sheet attached. This looks like a finish I have been looking for... safe and non toxic. I thank you for posting this video.
I really enjoyed this one. The only thing I'd like to add is that just because something is all natural, doesn't automatically make it safe. There's plenty of all natural things out there that can get you super sick or kill you. The finish you created came out fantastic.
As a fellow experimenter, I very much enjoyed your video. I usually make very small batches of product for wood turnings. I have also added diatomaceous earth, dental pumice, and rotten stone to make all natural friction polishes with beeswax and natural oils. Another company to look at for all natural, chemical free oils is "Tried and True." They make three all natural oil/wax/resin products. Great video, thanks.
Thanks for the video!! I have gone down the rabbit hole of homemade wood finishes that are 100% nontoxic and natural. It’s not easy work. Thanks for experimenting and I hope to try your version one day!
after I heard on the podcast you had been having such a great time designing the label, I was looking forward to seeing it. Love it. Might be applicable on other merch as well(and such a clever name). And this video certainly showed the "...stay passionate..." The amount of energy involved in this came across very clearly.
This is awesome. I’m totally inspired. I hate the chemical smell of finishes.I use a Presto Pot to make candles. I added a ball valve and spout to easily decant. I will be experimenting with making my own finishes. Thanks for the formulations and the continued inspiration.
I have been experimenting with natural varnishes because we have enough plastic in this world, so I have found this video quite interesting. Many thanks.
Just a heads up for anyone making a finish like this, make sure your containers are fairly air tight. I’ve run into issues with the citrus solvent in wax evaporating off over a month or so and leaving it unusable.
How fun! I really like the more natural finish. It’s so satisfying to watch someone make something that they are excited about. Side note… I like the branding too. 😊
Very interesting. I'm 81 years old and still a hobbyist wood worker. When I was 18 I joined the Marine Corp. I was issued an M1 Garand rifle. It was probably 20 years old and covered with cosmoline. We had to clean the rifle, this took awhile, oil it and rub in tons on linseed oil on the walnut stock. I loved it. I love the way it looked, the way it smelled and the way it looked. I never tired of adding oil and rubbing it in.
You can also change out the shellac as a resin with a damar resin (also known as pine resin). An alternative carrier is citrus terpene, which is derived from citrus peel. If you are looking for a vegan recipe (all plant-based), you can substitute beeswax for candelilla wax. It is good to see an artisan taking finishing seriously and thinking through issues that pertain to their creative efforts. Well done.
So very cool love to see your enthusiasm and making this new product. I can’t wait to see how it comes out and hopefully it will come to market so we can all enjoy it.. best of luck to you love the look of it and the fact that it’s all natural 👏👏👏
I appreciate this... have played around with natural finishes, this honors the wood more than off the shelf stuff if that makes sense, and makes working with it more enjoyable. And when you stare at the finished product, it means more
Great video. Personally I've mostly used either danish oil or another finish which is similar using boiled linseed oil, metherlated sprits and polyurethane with a top coat of briwax which has worked well for what I do. Shellac is also a good option for something that drys quick
This has been one of the most highly anticipated videos I have been waiting for! This was great! Thanks man! I’ve been always searching for something like this. 😊
Great looking finish there. Shellac is my favorite finish for anything inside except tabletops that will see a lot of wear, as you said. This combo looks like worth trying. Thanks for the formula. Just an FYI, Platina Shellac flakes are a little bit even more colorless than Super Blonde, if you're interested.
That is indeed a beautiful finish. You cannot beat the combination of oil and wax to bring out the real beauty of the grain....and I like the idea of it smelling like oranges.
What a great idea, philosophy and recipe! I am predicting a very well received product. Critical to me is proper curing/drying time. Hardening time and ingredients another entire subject. Well done and stay safe, from an old retired shop teacher.
Well finally, someone admits to make a high grade finish is expensive!! We have been preaching this for 5 years, since we came out with our 2 pastes 5 years ago, everyone saw how successful we became, only other seller of pastes back then was York Grit, now somones grandmother is making it in her kitchen, slapped it in a chinese tin and put it up for retail stating the whole time it is cheap to make this stuff, and we can sell it cheaply!. So, thank you, for clearing that up, we have many videos on our pastes, food saftey in whatever we do. We pay dearly to make our pastes from the very best ingredients you can buy. Thanks again for a high quality video.!!
Absolutely love this! In regards to production down the road, I think selling this as a make it yourself kit would be awesome. To me at least, Its all about the process and fine tuning to fit my needs. I know some people just want the easy buy and apply method but where's the fun in that lol!
This is amazing, the exact ethos that I was looking for in my wood finishes! Would be amazing to see you do a durability test comparing it to other more common finishes...
Thanks! I'll say right off the bat it's not going to be nearly as durable as a synthetic finish like polyurethane. This finish soaks into the wood where poly and lacquer sit on top of the wood.
You briefly mentioned that rags soaked on finish CAN self-combust. Lemme tell you a story... Very early in my woodworking life, I had been contracted to make simple wooden totes. The buyer specified raw linseed oil as a coating. Contract for 200. So, I went to work. I personally prefer small batch runs...dunno why. After assembling the totes, I brushed on a heavy layer of oil, let it sit as long as it took me to do all 200, then wiped off the excess with paper towels. Took the nasty paper out back to the burn pile, slept...then went to work the following day (yeah...I had a day job). The phone rings, coworker hands it to me. It was my brother..."Shop just burnt down" Well, it didn't, but he had my attention. He had tried to extinguish the fire with a water hose and when all that did was spread the fire he called the pros. They came and used some type of smothering foam. Bro tried to blame it on my nasty habit of smoking, but the fire captain, noting several empty cans of raw linseed oil about told him about the self-combusting properties of the oil. That spot? Nothing grew there for years...no grass, no weeds, just a bare spot of dirt. So, the moral of the story is handle oily rags with extreme care. Take them outdoors away from any building or structure you care about. Lay them out in such a manner that they can dry and/or cure on their own. Do NOT stack or pile them...lay them out in single layers. When dry, you can dispose of them in whatever your normal disposal manner is. I still use linseed oils, waxes, and other flammable finishes, but have constructed a 'drying' rack from scrap boards and dowels to hang nasty rags on for curing...out of direct sunlight. Be safe!
If you watch Bourbon Moth Woodworking at all, he had an eye opening video about oily rags. It was wild. The video is called "I Tried to Burn Down My Shop This Video Will Save Yours". We did weekly safety meetings in carpentry school and when it was my turn, I showed his video and everyone was jaw opened in shock watching it. Now I don't mess around with oily rags.
@@GeekyBoutiquey I do watch Bourbon Moth, but somehow missed that video. I will go find it and watch it now. Thanks for the heads-up. Fire scares the daylights outta me.
@@GeekyBoutiquey He may have 'helped' his data collection along with some off camera intervention. AvE made several videos debunking his process. I'm not saying oily rags can't self-combust, they certainly can, but I think Jason may have been dramatizing things to get clicks and sell products with his Amazon affiliate links. That video likely made him quite a bit of money and would not have if it weren't for the dramatic results achieved.
I subscribed @:013 simply because you gave away the ending. What a novel idea! So many RUclips videos want to pack their videos with endless teasers and useless filler when the entire video could be compressed down to 1/8th the time it took them to "give away the ending." Thanks. I look forward to more videos where you give away the ending. That's the kind of no-nonsense videos I like to watch. I hope others like it too. As info: for 30 years until she died in 1980, my aunt, who was an antique dealer, used a finish similar to this on all the antiques she refinished. She preferred white oak furniture but also sold cherry, walnut, and other types. She stained with homemade stain and finished with shellac. She then waxed her finishes before selling. Everyone loved the beautiful finishes she put on her stuff.
That’s totally awesome. I had a very similar route to creating a shellac, tung oil finish. I used it on turned bowls and pepper grinders. I really like the durability of the tung oil finish over just using pure tung oil and waiting a long time for the curing. I used pure gum turpentine for non food products, and isopropyl alcohol for the food safe version (food safe enough for me anyway). The great part is these finishes are so easy to top up / fix, maintain a finish on wood. This is such a great video, I now feel that I’m not the only one nuts enough to do this. . I also use shellac to seal MDF, it’s so fast… The closest commercial product I can see is Parrs Danish oil in UK
Been looking forward to this since you started talking about it on the podcast. Amazing results here. My wife is very sensitive to solvents in finish, I might have to try this out. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing. I did some experiments myself last year because I want a all natural finish for the guitars I build. Surprisingly I came out with a the ingredients. The combination shellac with boiled linseed oil is something I didnt think about. I am going to experiment with that. Thanks for your hard work and beautiful solutions Cheers Ronald
Love the video! Finishing is one of the things I'm most confused by in my woodworking journey right now, at least partly because I haven't done much experimentation, and I'm always looking for more information to add to my awareness on the subject, and videos on the subject like this are pure gold, and always welcome to see. as an added bonus, I lover how this finish looked on your test board at the end of the video. THANK YOU for sharing! FYI... the 'poisons' in denatured alcohol or everclear are fully natural, and were not added. much of the effort in making any alcohol is getting rid of them. Completely removing them actually requires a chemical process, which is why it becomes MUCH more expensive to go from 90% ethanol to nearly pure Ethanol. Getting to 90% ethanol can be very cheap and easy, which is why standard everclear is made at that level.
This is great! Was in a rabbit hole myself to come up with a recipe for our butcher block kitchen counter and wooden slats backsplash. I'll just substitute the dewaxed shellac for pine resin (food safe) and linseed oil for hemp oil. BTW, they sell the 95% alcohol at the liquor store for people to use in recipes. One that comes in mind is the "Bachelor's Compote" (Confiture du célibataire), a classic, very old, French recipe consisting of macerating fresh small or woodland fruits (raspberries, blueberries, ect.) in sugar and very strong alcohol. It has to be at least 90% for that particular fuit preserve. In France we call this very strong alcohol "eau de vie", litterally translates as "water of life".
Ya, I'm with you on the finish, and especially on the denatured alcohol. Methanol is easily absorbed through the skin, as well as breathing in the funes. Then our body metabolizes into formaldehyde, which is very hard to excrete! Many years ago, when i worked on the medical school, i had to visit the lady who had the license to "dispense" the ethanol for lab use. It was a pain. I remember taking home a small bottle of 100 ml for my own projects. Some 38 years later, i still have a little left, though more has evaporated than I've used! I really like the idea of making the shellac like you're doing. If my dad was still alive, I'm sure he would too. BTW, when you dissolve the flakes in ethanol, the exact mixture doesn't matter. That's just to get a good saturated solution. When you use it, the way it dries is that almost all the alcohol evaporates. Same with the waxes & oils. Good job, i love the final finish.
Absolutely love this! Quick aside, the bottles you're using to store the liquid part of the finish are based on the O-I Glass 750ml Kaleido bottle which is fairly popular among craft distillers (I've worked for a few). Great bottle design, and if you live close to a craft distiller they may have some in stock that you can purchase from them at a reduced cost compared to the Amazon listing. I use these bottles with my publishing class at the college when the students design bottle labels.
Nice one, David! I'm keen to make a batch of this myself for testing purposes. As a chemist, I would caution you against leaning too heavily into "natural = safe" as there are plenty of natural substances which are incredibly bad for people. Everything we're exposed to can be harmful ("the dose makes the poison"). Even water can be deadly when ingested in sufficient volumes. I don't mean to sound like one of the negative haters (sorry). I'm genuinely excited for you about this finish as it looks really good and easily achievable to an average person who has the determination to source the materials. Your excitement is infectious and reminds me of a time when I first started my research lab work. The name of the finish is also amazing 👌
These home mix finishes are cool. I've found that Shellac with ethanol is my go to finish. Instead of going super blonde or platina, i just use orange. Gives similar color to what you've shonwn here is 100% natural, dries in minutes cures in a day and is super durable.
I just went through a similar (though far less detailed) process. Ended up with the same linseed oil (which you can also get at Lee Valley), and polymerized tung oil from Bumblechutes. In my case, I'm also mixing with polyurethane, and am still experimenting with ratios, but something like 1:1:1 with then either 1 or 2 for mineral spirits. By the way, you can use isopropyl alcohol for shellac … you can get lab grade 95-99% online for less than the cost of denatured alcohol at the local box store.
Hey thanks for this. I have been using the Sam Maloof finish for more than 50 years, and yes, leaving the rags around almost burned down our shop South of Market in SF. They do spontaneously ignite. Lately I have been trying Watco to start out, then Watco or turpentine depending, mixed with boiled linseed oil and a little bit of oil based poly. My friend likes to call it my passive/aggressive finish (put it on, take it off). He didn't really get the keep the finish at surface level idea at all. I will build this up with 4 or 5 layers over as many days. I have very little experience with wax as part of the overall finish. Greatly appreciate the in depth demonstration. I will use your advise.
I really enjoyed this video! All your videos are entertaining and educational at the same time. Thank you for doing all the research and then sharing the formula!
Your finish looks great! I've been making my own finish for cutting boards and other small projects just from mineral oil, beeswax, and a little lemon oil to make it smell nice. It works really well for me, and it's also super easy to make and safe to use on things that will be in contact with food. I've thought about experimenting with other formulas similar to what you came up with, but now you've done the hard part! I think I would try tung oil instead of linseed oil, though. Thanks a ton for this great video. Trying new things, learning, and having fun are what it's all about!
I sure appreciate your video and especially sharing your formula and application method. Breaking the finish into two parts rather than mixing all the components in one seems to make a lot of sense...putting the wax that is meant for the surface into the part that is meant to pernitrate as I have been doing does not seem optimum. I just today finished a couple of projects with the second coat and am certainly pleased with the results. Thanks! One Question: I imagine you tried pine tree resin as well, before choosing shellac. I'd enjoy knowing what the choice points were for you. All the Best, Veteran '66-68
So you basically made Shine Juice. Add some denatured alcohol to the liquid blend and it'll dry faster. Woodturners use Shine Juice to get a great finish, fast. It's a friction polish so you can apply it on the lathe, and with some wax, it looks like it took a lot more effort than it does. Awesome idea for flatwork!
I really appreciate the timing of this video. I want different finishes for different products. I see very little benefit in repeating 'all' of the research that yourself and others have done on the subject, I'd rather 'research' with your results (your formulas)as opposed to starting from scratch. I'd much rather use your base, and add tints to it as needed. I thoroughly enjoyed your discovery process. It was like high school chemistry and wood shop, all over again.🤓🤠😎
I recently went down a little rabbit hole of linseed oil paints, and the Viking and Ottosson linseed oils were incredibly pure. I didn't test Atlas, but I would bet that if it's Scandanavian, it's probably legit. When I visited a local distributor, they had two glass bottles on the shelf with Viking linseed oil in one, and an off-the-shelf linseed oil in the other. They had been sitting for a little over a year and there were loads of settled additives from the off-the-shelf one, and the Viking stuff still looked clear. I still want to experiment more with the paint and pine tar mixtures, but I'll probably get into clearer finishes soon too. Nice job with your exploration, and keep experimenting!
These are my kind of finishes! I find the best linseed or tung oils are pure polymerized ones. BLO usually has some of the heavy metal dryers that japan dryer has, that's a big part of why it dries faster. But the polymerized stuff has been cooked in a vacuum chamber, so it reaches the temp where it starts curing. I think the Swedish stuff you got in there is like this. It dries a notch slower than BLO. And polymerized tung oil is dry to touch in 2-3 days, with cure time of about a month. Btw, the shellac and oil mix makes great friction polish for turning! I cut it about half and half for that.
To be fair I haven't read all the comments... Everclear is meant to be use as an additive to other liquors to raise their alcohol contents which is why you have to sign something saying you wont drink it out of the bottle. Great video as usual!
I am a turner and make almost the same wax formula except I use filtered walnut oil in place of linseed oil. Shellac as the resin for finish mixes is also my goto
Love this...Thanks for sharing it...Just as a point of history, you may enjoy should you read this...I've been a traditional woodworker (et al) for over 40 years. This finish type in one of its first iterations in the modern day (it is an old recipe) was called "landmark" and made by a little old man and his wife. This formula is now found and can be purchased from a friend company called "Heritage Finishes" the exact ratios, mixing temps, etc are a trade secret, but the ingredients are similar to yours with a few differences that make it a bit more durable but a breeze to apply, great effect on all woods, and will age beautifully forming the wonderful patina that antiques all get and that "plastic finishers" NEVER will be able to... Those ingredients (should anyone wish to experiment?) are Pine Rosin, Citrus, Tung, & Flax oils, all mixed with beeswax...
In the 70s and early 80s I used oil finishes on a variety of different types wood furniture and I created my own blends of waxes. Yes Japan dryer works but does stink always good to experiment
This is great! How you processed through to your 'final' desired finish which could still be tweaked and refined. (depending on the application) The ideas and explanations are the key that unlocks a big door for us out here. Thanks for laying the ground work. I love the use of citrus oil. I have been using two different brands of citrus oil furniture polish that also have a beeswax conditioner. One is Lustre and the other is Howard. Most recently I found one called Citrushine (that is really strong) These products are being used in the home on antique furniture and any quality woodwork, but could be used in the shop. It all crosses over. 30 years ago I discovered Grumtine, a product made by Grumbacher art/painting supplies. A Turpentine type product with the orange oil. I was hooked on that ever since. Mineral spirits always stink, unless you get an unscented, so I started adding a small amount to unscented for the fragrance. Of course the orange oil helps clean the brush, so fewer headaches in more than one way.💥💯💥👍👍
Not to take away from your awesome video, but it reminded of when i had a small woodworking shop, and how i used up timber offcuts and laminated them into chopping boards, as the timber will have all sorts of food prepared on them i used to seal them with beeswax and olive oil, basically heat the beeswax until it had softened and then add the oil whilst stirring, the ratio i used to 'eyeball' every time but my goal was to make a stable polish (nb: it didn't go rancid as the beeswax wax was the main component) ... it was pretty good at sealing the timber
The process is fascinating, thanks for sharing. As a collective ,we should probably pay a little more attention to the finishes we use and breathe in on a regular basis.
What a brilliant video, and such enthusiasm, the finish looks amazing…. I’m with you on glossy finishes 🤮…. Good luck with data collection on this, here’s hoping it yields the results you want…….i love getting a notification for your channel of a new video.. Im loving the slightly tweaked presenting style, after I heard you mention you were looking at doing a change in the podcast, I wondered if it would be a big change, it’s a nice subtle one…but please don’t let big happy playful David and his long sleeve Tees go completely…. ❤️
Great video & info, Dave~! Not that I don't want to wait you out, but since you offered the contents & proportions, I may open up a "kitchen" in my shop and give it a go myself. I just recently tried a beeswax/citrus oil/BLO-type of finish and loved it, so I'm on board~!! Thanks much for sharing this~!
I've been using a variation of Tage Frid's 4F finish. Its equal parts BLO, Alcohol, and 3lb cut of shellac. I've been happy with the results, but I'm going to give yours a shot to see how it compares. It looks like it has a pretty decent shelf life (I'm using hardware store grade materials for mine so that may change things). It just needs to be shaken before use and it is good to go.
I always have a wood project on the go and am grateful for your time in experimenting, perfecting and sharing this. I live in a humid area in Australia and we can have weeks of rain and many floods. Two questions... how would this goes with mould and how often would the wood need refinishing? My last home I lived in had a serious mould issue everytime it rained. The surfaces were finished in linseed or lacquer and both were affected. Thanks for your advice.
I really enjoyed the video and your process. I just completed a large oak shelving unit with polyurethane and swore at it the whole time. My question is about the durability…
SOLD OUT. Thank you! ❤
I'm stoked to see others using recipes so similar to my own!
My recipe is a foodsafe hodgepodge from 3-4 sources. The wood whisperer, an unnamed grand master of all things wood, CA compliance, and my decision making.
There are 3 major differences between our mixes, but they are quite small really.
I use 100% d-limonene as my orange oil solvent (alliance chemical) $68/gal delivered from amazon.
I use 99% isopropyl as my other solvent for California compliance. It dissolves shellac great. I don't even grind the flakes, I bag and smash. I might try not doing anything next. $69 for 4 gallons delivered from amazon...
Our major difference is in our oils. I use a blend of tung and raw linseed. The linseed I use is from nordicare and its clear, to offset the color of the tung. I prefer a co-polymer when I'm in control of the polymerization. If I needed a clearer finish though I could just use the linseed.
I also add microcrystalline wax into the mix. I feel it adds smoothness to the wax.
The d-limonene and tung oil come from the wood whisperer, the linseed/ copolymer stuff is from the unnamed grand Master (also used by me in seasoning cast iron for a stronger polymer and where I drew correlations from), the isopropyl was a mix of California compliance and my own testing/decision making. The whole thing kind of became my decision making based off how many products there are and my penchant for testing things.
I'm half into making my own custom made stains now, so much fun. And the best stain results I've had. I'm mixing it right into my oil mix! With a dash of isopropyl to start the color mixing (mixol pigments). I'm totally messing around, and now moving into isopropyl and water for testing dyes.
@@brandonhoffman4712 I love this! Looks like you've done your research! Thanks!
Would this work on walnut, white oak, cherry, maple and other plywood made from premium hardwoods. I am looking for a good finish for walnut (and other) plywood for making premium cornhole boards. The question I have is, how much damage would this treatment take (cornhole boards) before it needs refinishing?
Would this work on cornhole boards?
@13:15, your math doesn't...add up. Its either 24 ounces or 18/7 or 19/6 to get to your 25. Which is it?
The best part of this is how we can tell how excited and proud of the finish you are. Good work and kudos.
This is one of my mixes as well (basically)
It's surprisingly close to rubio monocoat.
It's just missing the hardener/drier to cure the oil fast. Which is also what my mix is missing.
He mentioned Japan drier, but I don't think that's what's in rubio monocaots hardener. I heard somone mention it. I think it was stumpy nubs.
It becomes the same as rubio monocoat, rubio just gets there faster. And approaches epoxy coating on cost after the 2nd coat.
Video starts, recipe is immediately given away, yet I'm still here watching. I'm not a woodworker, I watch your videos for your design process. I enjoy the way you are always looking for new ways to accomplish what you are trying to do. This is another one of those. Your insights on creating and using this finish and your thought process were far more important to me than the recipe.
❤️
Commenting to boost algorithm cause this needs more attention
If you want the shellac to dissolve faster I would think about getting a stir bar and magnetic plate so that you can have it continuously stirring and not settling out
Saying this in the "happiest" tone possible....Thanks so much for sharing your hard work and research. Take care and stay healthy and safe.
18 seconds in and I paused to comment. I am watching the entire video no matter what because you didn't tease everyone and only provide the recipe at the end. you rock already 😊
For long term stability testing coatings companies fill a small glass jar with the coating and place it in an oven at 40°C. They then check the jars weekly and evaluate the state simply by inverting the jar, no need to open the lid, if the formula is unstable you will see gelling in the jar or a thickening of the formula. A good formulation should last many months. This evaluation will also give you an idea of the compatibility of the components together, there maybe separation which is acceptable if the components go back into solution simply by shaking the jar.
So they keep the oven going for weeks?
@@brandonhoffman4712 these ovens are laboratory hot boxes and not like a domestic oven, they will run for years. I was a laboratory technician developing industrial coatings and we never switched the stability ovens off, not even over the Christmas break.
@@colinbates9563 I was trying to wrap my head around costs associated with performing such a test.
It's quickly scaling out of reach! Once the word laboratory gets brought up, it's all over for me.
Thanks for sharing. This is great information. (Now I have an excuse to buy a laboratory hot box.)
This is an excellent example of the dedication to all aspects of the craft.
Yes it is.
This man is approaching his own rubio monocoat type mix.
I stumbled into this process myself 3 months ago. His process is very similar to my own. Ours both even smell like oranges and are food safe.
This finish will last on a cutting board for 3 months while receiving daily scrubdowns with detergent based cleaners. Far more than can be asked of your average mineral oil based cutting board oil or wax.
The only bummer is the wax forms it's own skin. But it stands testament to its protection.
Coffee grinder --> Brushed motor --> sparks --> ethanol-fumes >> HIGH PUCKER-FACTOR
@@AdityaMehendale For real. I'm like "oh my God I didn't come here to watch a man's house burn down!"
I'm old, so I remember Homer Formby hawking his formula on TV. He is now a multi-millionaire. The young people need you now, go for it. Nice finish, and I would buy it. I don't need all the chem to make it myself, so yes, I would buy it from you.
Great Video! I make all my finishes out of shellac, linsed oil, walnut oil, bees- and carnubawax. I love the smell and that its free of chemicals.
For bright mit woods like Maple, I recommend walnut oil, it although hardens good, smells even better and dose not yellow the Wood that much.
Thanks you for all the great Videos!
Sorry for my spelling, greetings from Germany.
Coatings Chemist here. I can comment on ingredients for what it is worth. ;)
Raw Linseed oil is thin and takes a long time to dry by itself. This can be adjusted by Heating (Boiling) it to gradually pre-oxidize the oils until it reaches a viscosity that is more desirable, and this also speeds up the drying process by pre-reacting some of the oil. This process can be stopped at any point, giving more or less of these benefits as desired, so you'll find many grades of boiled linseed oil on the market, mostly based on viscosity. When thickened past a certain point, it needs a bit of solvent to make handling easier.
Raw linseed is the lowest viscosity and is the least refined, it will penetrate the most and bring out the grain quite well. Thicker boiled linseed oils will penetrate less, and bring out a bit less grain highlighting. You can combine the two to get some of the best of both worlds.
Linseed is only partially soluble in ethanol, maybe about 10%, which is why your final finish is milky looking and probably separates. You might be able to increase stability by adding a natural emulsifier like lecithin.
Linseed oil is very soft, and it yellows more than most oils over time.
Tung oil is hard and more water resistant. It tends to want to wrinkle a lot if it dries too fast (for example with Japan Drier). It might be better than the Linseed in your final wax coat, could be interesting to try.
Dehydrated castor oil is known for being almost water clear among the drying oils.
Denatured alcohol is ethanol with (most often) some methanol in it. Sometimes foul-tasting agents are also used. Buying the Everclear and signing the "not for human consumption" document likely avoided a liquor tax... These are of course super flammable so keeping ANY source of heat or electricity usage away from them is really important.
Shellac or Lacquers are generally considered to be not recoatable with anything but more lacquer, as oils and acrylics don't like to adhere to them strongly. In your system, it's perfectly fine, but good to note in case you were doing a table top that you wanted to put a polyurethane on later. In that case, you'd want to test thoroughly on scraps to make sure you get the adhesion you need for that project. An alternative to the shellac might be a purified pine rosin (staying natural) called Colophony. Amazon B00LFPRS0O for reference. Colophony might dissolve into the linseed by itself, or into some raw linseed, without the need for the alcohols... Might need a bit of heat though. (I haven't done this, just thinking with you.) (Most of my work uses alkyds, oils, and mineral spirits with other chemical additives for exterior durability/use.)
Without chemical driers added (Japan Drier, Cobalt, Manganese, Zinc, Zirconium, Calcium, etc.) the risk of spontaneous combustion is much less, as the drying process is quite delayed. Still, it is good to hang rags to dry for a day or two (until they are hard/crispy) before throwing them away. There are many tragic fires every year caused by the improper disposal of oily rags!
I love your passion for finding and creating a finish that suits your needs!
Wow, thank you for the well detailed response!
I need help.
I have an antique desk which I promised my daughter that I would fix up. It's a gorgeous Edwardian style (?) desk with scrolled hinged lids. It's a darker wood with a fine blonde inlay border on every surface. It has tapered legs with square cup beaded edge brass castors. It has a dark finish shellac. There are many areas that were white-ish which I think I've come to understand is old wax.
I've never worked with shellac but but when I learned that one could reconstitute it with alcohol, I was excited. That excitement was short-lived because this has turned into a nightmare.
Because of those whitish areas and because it had some staining it had a lot of rehydrating of the shellac which produced tinted reconstituted shellac. It was going well as I used an artist brush to touch up damaged finishing areas like cup rings, water damage, etc.. It was going well but I was running out of reconstituted shellac and I couldn't take it from anywhere else on the piece. I was running out of shellac so I bought Zinzer in a quart can and an aerosol spray to see which would worked better. BIG MISTAKE.
I used sprayed on shellac first thinking that might be easier and being for more familiar with polyurethanes, but discovered that this new shellac wasn't blending with the old shellac. Or was acting like a stripper of sorts making it kind of wrinkly. The spray also has an orange peel that I don't like.
I then tried to use some straight alcohol to gently go over the top hoping that it would reflow but that didn't work either and it looks like hell I don't want to strip this desk but I don't know what else to do. What the hell is wrong with this Zinzer crap! 😡
Now I Have stopped working on it because I was so discouraged but she's upset that I'm not finishing the desk. I don't know where to go from here. I can't seem to get a good damn finish no matter what I do. It's streaky. It doesn't lay down well. It's thick and thin in spots. I was excited to use shellac as it could somewhat be reconstitute d... but now I freakin' hate it! 😡😡😡
I bought some darker/ purple shellac flakes and I tried to make my own thinking that something was wrong with the Zinnzer shallac that's a pain in the ass.
A beautiful safe finish with little effort! Thank you so much for sharing and giving such in-depth explanation of the why and how. It would be a good idea to educate the customer on how and when to reapply the finish and supply them with a small batch of it with the furniture - I really doubt anyone needs PU if a little attention is given to maintain valuable handmade furniture. This is the kind of content I want more on RUclips!
I have been waiting on this video since you first brought it up on the podcast. I was talking to someone about this all natural finish on the way home today. Then I get home and it’s been released. I’m hyped to make a batch and try it out. I also think it’s awesome to basically make this an open source project. Much respect.
Hello, just came across your video on my time line and boy am I glad for it!
I love to prepare my own stains and finishes but always struggled with all natural recipes. Yours is the perfect combination of simplicity and quality. No doubt I'll try it.
Last but not least: thanks for putting this freely on RUclips instead of making it a patreon-only content. I'm a firm believer in spreading knowledge.
I have been following the development of this on the podcast so very cool to see the details.
This video is the best, most clear, and easy to follow, how-to on wood finish I have ever found. Thank you.
I am definitely trying your finish.
That is exactly the same rabbit hole I fell into a few months ago! It feels so good to see this tried and proven by someone with way more experience than me, thank you!
Thank you for this!! I’ve been spinning my wheels with finishes, trying every type I could find and never feeling totally satisfied with the outcome. This finish is amazing.
I have been using shellac flakes and love how the finish dries so quickly. Two days and your done and no smell in the shop. What I have been looking into is what you can add to the shellac to make it into a satin finish. One was silica, and another was a product that could be purchased from a finishing company where it seemed that every ingredient had a msds sheet attached. This looks like a finish I have been looking for... safe and non toxic. I thank you for posting this video.
I made a small batch for some wood bowls I made. Very happy with the results. Went on thin and cured nicely. Thank you.
Been looking forward to this video! Gonna try and make some myself.
Also I really like the branding you made for the bottles.
I really enjoyed this one. The only thing I'd like to add is that just because something is all natural, doesn't automatically make it safe. There's plenty of all natural things out there that can get you super sick or kill you.
The finish you created came out fantastic.
Yep. Rattlesnake venom is 100% natural but I don't think I want it coursing through my blood vessels ! LOL
These ingredients are all edible and common in everyday foods.
Love the amount of research you put into this one, your excitement shows. Thanks for sharing.
As a fellow experimenter, I very much enjoyed your video. I usually make very small batches of product for wood turnings. I have also added diatomaceous earth, dental pumice, and rotten stone to make all natural friction polishes with beeswax and natural oils. Another company to look at for all natural, chemical free oils is "Tried and True." They make three all natural oil/wax/resin products. Great video, thanks.
Adding those different ingredients to make friction polishes is really interesting. What were your results?
good results with soft to the feel finish@@linsen8890
Thanks for the video!! I have gone down the rabbit hole of homemade wood finishes that are 100% nontoxic and natural. It’s not easy work. Thanks for experimenting and I hope to try your version one day!
Love the spoiler at the start - stayed to share the journey. Thanks for your hard work and time!
after I heard on the podcast you had been having such a great time designing the label, I was looking forward to seeing it. Love it. Might be applicable on other merch as well(and such a clever name). And this video certainly showed the "...stay passionate..." The amount of energy involved in this came across very clearly.
This is awesome. I’m totally inspired. I hate the chemical smell of finishes.I use a Presto Pot to make candles. I added a ball valve and spout to easily decant. I will be experimenting with making my own finishes. Thanks for the formulations and the continued inspiration.
I have been experimenting with natural varnishes because we have enough plastic in this world, so I have found this video quite interesting. Many thanks.
Thanks!
Thank you!!
Nicely done. Thanks for going through the process and being comfortable in sharing it.
Great video for many reasons, one is the wealth of information you unselfishly shared, thank you, i learned a lot of useful chemistry!
Just a heads up for anyone making a finish like this, make sure your containers are fairly air tight. I’ve run into issues with the citrus solvent in wax evaporating off over a month or so and leaving it unusable.
To be fair, it’s not unusable, you just have to remelt the wax in the double boiler and add some more solvent.
How fun! I really like the more natural finish. It’s so satisfying to watch someone make something that they are excited about. Side note… I like the branding too. 😊
Very interesting. I'm 81 years old and still a hobbyist wood worker. When I was 18 I joined the Marine Corp. I was issued an M1 Garand rifle. It was probably 20 years old and covered with cosmoline. We had to clean the rifle, this took awhile, oil it and rub in tons on linseed oil on the walnut stock. I loved it. I love the way it looked, the way it smelled and the way it looked. I never tired of adding oil and rubbing it in.
Rah
You can also change out the shellac as a resin with a damar resin (also known as pine resin). An alternative carrier is citrus terpene, which is derived from citrus peel. If you are looking for a vegan recipe (all plant-based), you can substitute beeswax for candelilla wax. It is good to see an artisan taking finishing seriously and thinking through issues that pertain to their creative efforts. Well done.
So very cool love to see your enthusiasm and making this new product. I can’t wait to see how it comes out and hopefully it will come to market so we can all enjoy it.. best of luck to you love the look of it and the fact that it’s all natural 👏👏👏
I’ve been waiting for you to drop this video after hearing you talk about the process on the pod. Thanks Dave!
I appreciate this... have played around with natural finishes, this honors the wood more than off the shelf stuff if that makes sense, and makes working with it more enjoyable. And when you stare at the finished product, it means more
Mad scientist in a woodworking world! Love your videos!!
Great video. Personally I've mostly used either danish oil or another finish which is similar using boiled linseed oil, metherlated sprits and polyurethane with a top coat of briwax which has worked well for what I do. Shellac is also a good option for something that drys quick
This has been one of the most highly anticipated videos I have been waiting for!
This was great! Thanks man! I’ve been always searching for something like this. 😊
Great looking finish there. Shellac is my favorite finish for anything inside except tabletops that will see a lot of wear, as you said. This combo looks like worth trying. Thanks for the formula. Just an FYI, Platina Shellac flakes are a little bit even more colorless than Super Blonde, if you're interested.
That is indeed a beautiful finish. You cannot beat the combination of oil and wax to bring out the real beauty of the grain....and I like the idea of it smelling like oranges.
What a great idea, philosophy and recipe! I am predicting a very well received product. Critical to me is proper curing/drying time. Hardening time and ingredients another entire subject. Well done and stay safe, from an old retired shop teacher.
You already use the very best out there!
Well finally, someone admits to make a high grade finish is expensive!! We have been preaching this for 5 years, since we came out with our 2 pastes 5 years ago, everyone saw how successful we became, only other seller of pastes back then was York Grit, now somones grandmother is making it in her kitchen, slapped it in a chinese tin and put it up for retail stating the whole time it is cheap to make this stuff, and we can sell it cheaply!. So, thank you, for clearing that up, we have many videos on our pastes, food saftey in whatever we do. We pay dearly to make our pastes from the very best ingredients you can buy. Thanks again for a high quality video.!!
Absolutely love this! In regards to production down the road, I think selling this as a make it yourself kit would be awesome. To me at least, Its all about the process and fine tuning to fit my needs. I know some people just want the easy buy and apply method but where's the fun in that lol!
This is amazing, the exact ethos that I was looking for in my wood finishes! Would be amazing to see you do a durability test comparing it to other more common finishes...
Thanks! I'll say right off the bat it's not going to be nearly as durable as a synthetic finish like polyurethane. This finish soaks into the wood where poly and lacquer sit on top of the wood.
You briefly mentioned that rags soaked on finish CAN self-combust. Lemme tell you a story...
Very early in my woodworking life, I had been contracted to make simple wooden totes. The buyer specified raw linseed oil as a coating. Contract for 200. So, I went to work. I personally prefer small batch runs...dunno why. After assembling the totes, I brushed on a heavy layer of oil, let it sit as long as it took me to do all 200, then wiped off the excess with paper towels. Took the nasty paper out back to the burn pile, slept...then went to work the following day (yeah...I had a day job). The phone rings, coworker hands it to me. It was my brother..."Shop just burnt down" Well, it didn't, but he had my attention. He had tried to extinguish the fire with a water hose and when all that did was spread the fire he called the pros. They came and used some type of smothering foam. Bro tried to blame it on my nasty habit of smoking, but the fire captain, noting several empty cans of raw linseed oil about told him about the self-combusting properties of the oil. That spot? Nothing grew there for years...no grass, no weeds, just a bare spot of dirt.
So, the moral of the story is handle oily rags with extreme care. Take them outdoors away from any building or structure you care about. Lay them out in such a manner that they can dry and/or cure on their own. Do NOT stack or pile them...lay them out in single layers. When dry, you can dispose of them in whatever your normal disposal manner is.
I still use linseed oils, waxes, and other flammable finishes, but have constructed a 'drying' rack from scrap boards and dowels to hang nasty rags on for curing...out of direct sunlight.
Be safe!
Wow, what a lesson. Thank you for sharing.
If you watch Bourbon Moth Woodworking at all, he had an eye opening video about oily rags. It was wild. The video is called "I Tried to Burn Down My Shop This Video Will Save Yours". We did weekly safety meetings in carpentry school and when it was my turn, I showed his video and everyone was jaw opened in shock watching it. Now I don't mess around with oily rags.
@@GeekyBoutiquey I do watch Bourbon Moth, but somehow missed that video. I will go find it and watch it now. Thanks for the heads-up. Fire scares the daylights outta me.
@@GeekyBoutiquey He may have 'helped' his data collection along with some off camera intervention. AvE made several videos debunking his process. I'm not saying oily rags can't self-combust, they certainly can, but I think Jason may have been dramatizing things to get clicks and sell products with his Amazon affiliate links. That video likely made him quite a bit of money and would not have if it weren't for the dramatic results achieved.
Sounds like your linseed oil was radioactive :)
I subscribed @:013 simply because you gave away the ending. What a novel idea! So many RUclips videos want to pack their videos with endless teasers and useless filler when the entire video could be compressed down to 1/8th the time it took them to "give away the ending." Thanks. I look forward to more videos where you give away the ending. That's the kind of no-nonsense videos I like to watch. I hope others like it too.
As info: for 30 years until she died in 1980, my aunt, who was an antique dealer, used a finish similar to this on all the antiques she refinished. She preferred white oak furniture but also sold cherry, walnut, and other types. She stained with homemade stain and finished with shellac. She then waxed her finishes before selling. Everyone loved the beautiful finishes she put on her stuff.
That’s totally awesome. I had a very similar route to creating a shellac, tung oil finish. I used it on turned bowls and pepper grinders. I really like the durability of the tung oil finish over just using pure tung oil and waiting a long time for the curing. I used pure gum turpentine for non food products, and isopropyl alcohol for the food safe version (food safe enough for me anyway). The great part is these finishes are so easy to top up / fix, maintain a finish on wood. This is such a great video, I now feel that I’m not the only one nuts enough to do this. . I also use shellac to seal MDF, it’s so fast… The closest commercial product I can see is Parrs Danish oil in UK
Really cool finish bud! Look forward to the future of it and its cool you share the ingredients to learn what its made from.
Been looking forward to this since you started talking about it on the podcast. Amazing results here. My wife is very sensitive to solvents in finish, I might have to try this out. Thanks for sharing!
This is going to be the most viewed wood finish video on youtube
Definetly going to try this with the ingredients here in India
Thanks for sharing.
I did some experiments myself last year because I want a all natural finish for the guitars I build. Surprisingly I came out with a the ingredients. The combination shellac with boiled linseed oil is something I didnt think about. I am going to experiment with that.
Thanks for your hard work and beautiful solutions
Cheers Ronald
Love the video! Finishing is one of the things I'm most confused by in my woodworking journey right now, at least partly because I haven't done much experimentation, and I'm always looking for more information to add to my awareness on the subject, and videos on the subject like this are pure gold, and always welcome to see. as an added bonus, I lover how this finish looked on your test board at the end of the video. THANK YOU for sharing!
FYI... the 'poisons' in denatured alcohol or everclear are fully natural, and were not added. much of the effort in making any alcohol is getting rid of them. Completely removing them actually requires a chemical process, which is why it becomes MUCH more expensive to go from 90% ethanol to nearly pure Ethanol. Getting to 90% ethanol can be very cheap and easy, which is why standard everclear is made at that level.
The finish, to finish, all finishes. ...Huge proponent of shellac, waxes, and oils. Good job!
This is great! Was in a rabbit hole myself to come up with a recipe for our butcher block kitchen counter and wooden slats backsplash. I'll just substitute the dewaxed shellac for pine resin (food safe) and linseed oil for hemp oil. BTW, they sell the 95% alcohol at the liquor store for people to use in recipes. One that comes in mind is the "Bachelor's Compote" (Confiture du célibataire), a classic, very old, French recipe consisting of macerating fresh small or woodland fruits (raspberries, blueberries, ect.) in sugar and very strong alcohol. It has to be at least 90% for that particular fuit preserve. In France we call this very strong alcohol "eau de vie", litterally translates as "water of life".
Ya, I'm with you on the finish, and especially on the denatured alcohol. Methanol is easily absorbed through the skin, as well as breathing in the funes. Then our body metabolizes into formaldehyde, which is very hard to excrete!
Many years ago, when i worked on the medical school, i had to visit the lady who had the license to "dispense" the ethanol for lab use. It was a pain.
I remember taking home a small bottle of 100 ml for my own projects. Some 38 years later, i still have a little left, though more has evaporated than I've used!
I really like the idea of making the shellac like you're doing. If my dad was still alive, I'm sure he would too.
BTW, when you dissolve the flakes in ethanol, the exact mixture doesn't matter. That's just to get a good saturated solution. When you use it, the way it dries is that almost all the alcohol evaporates.
Same with the waxes & oils.
Good job, i love the final finish.
Absolutely love this! Quick aside, the bottles you're using to store the liquid part of the finish are based on the O-I Glass 750ml Kaleido bottle which is fairly popular among craft distillers (I've worked for a few). Great bottle design, and if you live close to a craft distiller they may have some in stock that you can purchase from them at a reduced cost compared to the Amazon listing. I use these bottles with my publishing class at the college when the students design bottle labels.
Amazing wood finish, very clever packaging and branding. I think Bob's right... you've really got something here.
Nice one, David! I'm keen to make a batch of this myself for testing purposes.
As a chemist, I would caution you against leaning too heavily into "natural = safe" as there are plenty of natural substances which are incredibly bad for people. Everything we're exposed to can be harmful ("the dose makes the poison"). Even water can be deadly when ingested in sufficient volumes.
I don't mean to sound like one of the negative haters (sorry). I'm genuinely excited for you about this finish as it looks really good and easily achievable to an average person who has the determination to source the materials. Your excitement is infectious and reminds me of a time when I first started my research lab work. The name of the finish is also amazing 👌
Thank you!
These home mix finishes are cool. I've found that Shellac with ethanol is my go to finish. Instead of going super blonde or platina, i just use orange. Gives similar color to what you've shonwn here is 100% natural, dries in minutes cures in a day and is super durable.
I just went through a similar (though far less detailed) process. Ended up with the same linseed oil (which you can also get at Lee Valley), and polymerized tung oil from Bumblechutes. In my case, I'm also mixing with polyurethane, and am still experimenting with ratios, but something like 1:1:1 with then either 1 or 2 for mineral spirits. By the way, you can use isopropyl alcohol for shellac … you can get lab grade 95-99% online for less than the cost of denatured alcohol at the local box store.
Hey thanks for this. I have been using the Sam Maloof finish for more than 50 years, and yes, leaving the rags around almost burned down our shop South of Market in SF. They do spontaneously ignite. Lately I have been trying Watco to start out, then Watco or turpentine depending, mixed with boiled linseed oil and a little bit of oil based poly. My friend likes to call it my passive/aggressive finish (put it on, take it off). He didn't really get the keep the finish at surface level idea at all. I will build this up with 4 or 5 layers over as many days. I have very little experience with wax as part of the overall finish. Greatly appreciate the in depth demonstration. I will use your advise.
I did my own. It is indeed great. Thank you so much for sharing!
I really enjoyed this video! All your videos are entertaining and educational at the same time. Thank you for doing all the research and then sharing the formula!
Your finish looks great! I've been making my own finish for cutting boards and other small projects just from mineral oil, beeswax, and a little lemon oil to make it smell nice. It works really well for me, and it's also super easy to make and safe to use on things that will be in contact with food. I've thought about experimenting with other formulas similar to what you came up with, but now you've done the hard part! I think I would try tung oil instead of linseed oil, though. Thanks a ton for this great video. Trying new things, learning, and having fun are what it's all about!
I sure appreciate your video and especially sharing your formula and application method. Breaking the finish into two parts rather than mixing all the components in one seems to make a lot of sense...putting the wax that is meant for the surface into the part that is meant to pernitrate as I have been doing does not seem optimum. I just today finished a couple of projects with the second coat and am certainly pleased with the results. Thanks!
One Question: I imagine you tried pine tree resin as well, before choosing shellac. I'd enjoy knowing what the choice points were for you.
All the Best, Veteran '66-68
So you basically made Shine Juice. Add some denatured alcohol to the liquid blend and it'll dry faster. Woodturners use Shine Juice to get a great finish, fast. It's a friction polish so you can apply it on the lathe, and with some wax, it looks like it took a lot more effort than it does.
Awesome idea for flatwork!
I really appreciate the timing of this video. I want different finishes for different products. I see very little benefit in repeating 'all' of the research that yourself and others have done on the subject, I'd rather 'research' with your results (your formulas)as opposed to starting from scratch. I'd much rather use your base, and add tints to it as needed. I thoroughly enjoyed your discovery process. It was like high school chemistry and wood shop, all over again.🤓🤠😎
I recently went down a little rabbit hole of linseed oil paints, and the Viking and Ottosson linseed oils were incredibly pure. I didn't test Atlas, but I would bet that if it's Scandanavian, it's probably legit. When I visited a local distributor, they had two glass bottles on the shelf with Viking linseed oil in one, and an off-the-shelf linseed oil in the other. They had been sitting for a little over a year and there were loads of settled additives from the off-the-shelf one, and the Viking stuff still looked clear. I still want to experiment more with the paint and pine tar mixtures, but I'll probably get into clearer finishes soon too. Nice job with your exploration, and keep experimenting!
I love the branding of the bottles!
Looking forward to trying this finish! I hope this channel does great because you deserve more than one shirt to wear for your videos
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This is awesome! It would be nice to have a product that doesn't stink and we can stain inside our workshop. Thank you for sharing how to make it. ❤
Dude, you are too cool! LOVE YOUR ATTITUDE AND I LOVE THIS CHANNEL!!!
As always thoroughly enjoy watching the informative video. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
These are my kind of finishes! I find the best linseed or tung oils are pure polymerized ones. BLO usually has some of the heavy metal dryers that japan dryer has, that's a big part of why it dries faster. But the polymerized stuff has been cooked in a vacuum chamber, so it reaches the temp where it starts curing. I think the Swedish stuff you got in there is like this. It dries a notch slower than BLO. And polymerized tung oil is dry to touch in 2-3 days, with cure time of about a month. Btw, the shellac and oil mix makes great friction polish for turning! I cut it about half and half for that.
Well done, very professional
Not only your research but the presentation
Thank you
Kudos for keeping it natural! I like Walrus Oil products for this reason, but if the DIY bug hits me in this area I will give your formulas a try.
Outstanding work! I will be trying this in my workshop. Thanks for the research and brands you used.
To be fair I haven't read all the comments... Everclear is meant to be use as an additive to other liquors to raise their alcohol contents which is why you have to sign something saying you wont drink it out of the bottle. Great video as usual!
I am a turner and make almost the same wax formula except I use filtered walnut oil in place of linseed oil. Shellac as the resin for finish mixes is also my goto
Love this...Thanks for sharing it...Just as a point of history, you may enjoy should you read this...I've been a traditional woodworker (et al) for over 40 years. This finish type in one of its first iterations in the modern day (it is an old recipe) was called "landmark" and made by a little old man and his wife. This formula is now found and can be purchased from a friend company called "Heritage Finishes" the exact ratios, mixing temps, etc are a trade secret, but the ingredients are similar to yours with a few differences that make it a bit more durable but a breeze to apply, great effect on all woods, and will age beautifully forming the wonderful patina that antiques all get and that "plastic finishers" NEVER will be able to...
Those ingredients (should anyone wish to experiment?) are Pine Rosin, Citrus, Tung, & Flax oils, all mixed with beeswax...
I have worked with applying either a shellac layer and then after a linseed layer (or vice versa) soon after to get a certain combination of the two.
In the 70s and early 80s I used oil finishes on a variety of different types wood furniture and I created my own blends of waxes. Yes Japan dryer works but does stink always good to experiment
Great job. I think this is you best video yet
This is great! How you processed through to your 'final' desired finish which could still be tweaked and refined. (depending on the application) The ideas and explanations are the key that unlocks a big door for us out here. Thanks for laying the ground work. I love the use of citrus oil. I have been using two different brands of citrus oil furniture polish that also have a beeswax conditioner. One is Lustre and the other is Howard. Most recently I found one called Citrushine (that is really strong) These products are being used in the home on antique furniture and any quality woodwork, but could be used in the shop. It all crosses over. 30 years ago I discovered Grumtine, a product made by Grumbacher art/painting supplies. A Turpentine type product with the orange oil. I was hooked on that ever since. Mineral spirits always stink, unless you get an unscented, so I started adding a small amount to unscented for the fragrance. Of course the orange oil helps clean the brush, so fewer headaches in more than one way.💥💯💥👍👍
Not to take away from your awesome video, but it reminded of when i had a small woodworking shop, and how i used up timber offcuts and laminated them into chopping boards, as the timber will have all sorts of food prepared on them i used to seal them with beeswax and olive oil, basically heat the beeswax until it had softened and then add the oil whilst stirring, the ratio i used to 'eyeball' every time but my goal was to make a stable polish (nb: it didn't go rancid as the beeswax wax was the main component) ... it was pretty good at sealing the timber
The process is fascinating, thanks for sharing. As a collective ,we should probably pay a little more attention to the finishes we use and breathe in on a regular basis.
What a brilliant video, and such enthusiasm, the finish looks amazing…. I’m with you on glossy finishes 🤮…. Good luck with data collection on this, here’s hoping it yields the results you want…….i love getting a notification for your channel of a new video.. Im loving the slightly tweaked presenting style, after I heard you mention you were looking at doing a change in the podcast, I wondered if it would be a big change, it’s a nice subtle one…but please don’t let big happy playful David and his long sleeve Tees go completely…. ❤️
😁 Thank you!
Great video & info, Dave~! Not that I don't want to wait you out, but since you offered the contents & proportions, I may open up a "kitchen" in my shop and give it a go myself. I just recently tried a beeswax/citrus oil/BLO-type of finish and loved it, so I'm on board~!! Thanks much for sharing this~!
great job bro!! I use something really super similar and i feel like its such a great look just like yours is! bravo!
I've been using a variation of Tage Frid's 4F finish. Its equal parts BLO, Alcohol, and 3lb cut of shellac. I've been happy with the results, but I'm going to give yours a shot to see how it compares.
It looks like it has a pretty decent shelf life (I'm using hardware store grade materials for mine so that may change things). It just needs to be shaken before use and it is good to go.
Great video! And I absolutely love the label!!! I agree with other posts, should make some merch with that label. Cheers
I always have a wood project on the go and am grateful for your time in experimenting, perfecting and sharing this. I live in a humid area in Australia and we can have weeks of rain and many floods. Two questions... how would this goes with mould and how often would the wood need refinishing? My last home I lived in had a serious mould issue everytime it rained. The surfaces were finished in linseed or lacquer and both were affected. Thanks for your advice.
I really enjoyed the video and your process. I just completed a large oak shelving unit with polyurethane and swore at it the whole time. My question is about the durability…