Wood finishing/farmhouse table

strange1

strange1

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Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Location
Elkin
I have a pretty good idea what I want the base to look like and how to get it there. But how do I smooth and seal the top without removing too much of the woods patina, and without adding a new layer of colors with stains. I want it to be as natural as possible. I'm thinking linseed oil (already have) and a wax finish to smooth. Thoughts?

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Will look into that. But real quick, what is difference in linseed oil and tung oil?
 
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There is a slight difference. I prefer (read: use more) tung oil but don't use either enough to have an educated reason as to why other than to provide some screen shots from some random Google search.


I'm saving some old 115 year old original wood from my house remodel to use in some random pieces. I plan to use steel wool and tung oil to get rid of the roughness and gray/grime and bring back to life.
 
I would start by LIGHTLY wire brushing the wood. That will really bring out the patina in the grain. I would then hit it with a light round of 220 grit sandpaper...steel wool will take forever to get it smooth. Remember, the tung oil will bring out more color in the wood and really enhance the color...particularly any reds you might have. Oiling wood is a really long process if you want to do it right. Softer woods (pine, poplar, etc) will suck up a HUGE amount of oil...like HUGE...just keep rubbing it on. I recommend allowing at least 8 hrs dry time between coats and like to stretch to 12 or longer. Once you see it start to harden, start 'buffing' between the coats to bring out the shine. For hardwoods, go 8 coats for decent protection and a few more for soft woods. I have done both of these this year. This gun cabinet is 1880s pine and the pineapple bed is mid 1800s mahogany...neither one have any color (stain) added. The only difference in the finished and unfinished is just the oil...
 

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I may have to relocate the motorcycle to the kitchen, so I can move the table-top out during this process. It sucks not having a shop, but it will get done.

What I am gathering is that I need to sand it to smooth out the high spots and extremely rough spots, but don't sand too much. Apply a few coats, probably with a rag, allowing a day between coats. After 2-3, start using steel wool instead of a rag to finish the smoothing process, for 2-4 more coats. Does that sound about right? What about a wax coat after all the oil is done and dry?
 
Get boiled linseed oil or it will stay sticky for ever!
 
I decided to be cheap and use the BLO that I already have. Since the thing is made from scrap boards, might as well keep the theme going. I did purchase some ebony stain for the base, the plan is to antique it with a white top coat. Here it is after one coat of each.

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2 parts BLO
1 part varnish/ polyurethane
1 part mineral spirits.
Mix it in a mason jar when do a few coats when you get the jar about half empty top it off with more varnish, and do a couple final coats.
You just made a "tung oil finish"


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I tried some minwax paste wax on a sample piece, and the surface was not smooth enough to get an even application. So, it looks like I will be using some type of poly this weekend after the last coat of BLO has a few days to soak.

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