I would rather see you lay out your rags singly than in a pile. A big enough pile and you could get combustion. As to the DIY finish. You indicate that they seem to be about the same. You did not mention cost. If there is no significant cost difference then I too would go with store bought. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.
Hard to argue spontaneous combustion is not a real safety hazard to deal with. My "pile" of 4 to 5 two inch squares is misleading, but could make inexperienced finish users think spontaneous combustion is not a serious concern. I rarely use more than one 2"x2" rag soaked with finish and perhaps a second one to buff off excess that absorbs very little. I usually throw them away the next time I add a coat a day or two later but sometimes they stack up. But the bottom ones are already dry from use 1, 2 or 3 days before. Hardly a concern for spontaneous combustion. I probably should have mentioned cost but it is such a trivial difference to me I did not see the need to review. But I am sure I left some viewers wondering who were not used to buying the individual components and would not be able to do the math in their head. I use less than a quart a year so we are talking about a quart of store bought for say $20 versus 3 quarts of DIY for about $36. To me dealing with 3 cans with three sticky lids and the trouble of constantly mixing small batches and finding an appropriate small metal container or having 3 mixed batches of which one or two would like go bad before finishing more than outweighs the price difference of a cup of Starbucks. I will pin this comment so more readers will see my explanation.
Good video Mike, I had to watch it again after the AWG club discussion this week about the Antique oil being discontinued and seeing the comparison of different products.
I am too cheap to buy Odies or Osmos. I will certainly try the Minwax Tung Oil finish but I probably have a year before I run out of the Minwax AO. I see no advantages in a DIY finish.
Thanks for the demonstration. This comment may only be tangentially related, but for small items that are handled a lot; boxes, tool handles, bottle openers, etc. I have had good rest with Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil gunstock finish. It is as user-friendly as some others, and takes longer to cure completely, but it is durable. One more caveat -- it has a relatives short shelf-life after opening. Months rather than years. It isn't water soluble, so use what usually works with oil-based finishes to clean up.
I agree with everything you showed and said here Mike. I've been a fan of MinWax for over 30 years now. One thing I do differently is to let the applicators dry in single layers - i.e. I won't stack them because each layer acts like insulation to keep the exothermic heat in. (I use them to keep track of how many coats I've used.) Fun fact: the mineral spirits solvents used these days is called Stoddard Solvent. Thanks for sharing🙏 Take care. -Mike😷
I find that an old metal cookie tin with some water in it is a great place to put oily rags. I'm sure the way you are doing it is safe, but I have seen a couple dumpster fires from oily rags being thrown away before they totally dried and I'd rather be extra careful. It's crazy how fast they can burn up. Thanks for all your videos, I have learned a ton from you! I had never used antique oil finish until watching one of your videos and now it's my second favorite finish behind Amber shellac. You're the man Mike!!!
On re-using gloves: I find that I sweat when wearing the gloves making it difficult to get on for re-use. What I do is keep a container of baby powder in the shop and dust it on my hands before putting the gloves on. Let’s me re-use many times without ripping. I do this for both nitrile and vinyl gloves. I have chemical waste cans from Northern Tool and put my oily rags in them. Removes one of the required elements for fire - oxygen
I am curious why you were not able to see the end cards in the last 20 seconds of the video> What device are you watching on and does it not show the end cards? Anyway, I added the link to the show notes.
I think the point you have demonstrated is that unless you can identify a real difference between commercial and DIY finishes, commercial finishes have the advantage of convenience - and when you are a typically busy retired guy, convenience counts for a lot! That said, I do make my own wiping varnish using a 1:1:1 blend of high-quality alkyd spar varnish, turpentine, and pure Tung oil. I like the way it looks and handles, and I like the fact that its made is predominately vegetable-based components - turpentine and Tung oil - rather than petroleum-based components. And the spar varnish that I use has a UV inhibitor that prevents darkening and helps retain the color of the wood. I mix my varnish in small quantities (about 3 oz) in recycled spice jars - I can use a jar two or three times before it becomes so gunked up that the cap no longer fits right and I have to toss it. Fortunately, my wife goes through spices at about the same rate that I go through varnish, so I have a constant supply of jars.
Gunked up lids is a pain with so many. I find the flip top plastic lid on the Minwax ca ns easier to deal with then the screw on "safety" lids that require pushing down and turning.
@@monophoto1 I’ve been draping a double layer of wax paper over the jars or cans before screwing down the lid. Never have a problem getting the lid off.
I like to make my own 1:1:1 finish substituting Walnut Oil for BLO and Naphtha (aka White Gas / Coleman Fuel) instead of mineral spirits. The walnut oil is very much lighter in color than BLO and will not darken/yellow light colored woods as much. The naphtha makes it dry and cure more quickly. I also make it in small batches so that I do not have a quart can of opened commercial finish sitting around for an extended period.
Thanks for sharing! I did not realize Coleman fuel was naphtha. I have a can that might be 20 years old. Wonder if it is any good? I may try your recipe if I make another batch.
Mike thanks for the tips. Just a slight correction. The nitrile gloves are not inexpensive anymore. They gone from $5.99 at HF to over $20 / box since Covid. Are you still running off of your pre-covid box?
I would rather see you lay out your rags singly than in a pile. A big enough pile and you could get combustion. As to the DIY finish. You indicate that they seem to be about the same. You did not mention cost. If there is no significant cost difference then I too would go with store bought. Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.
Hard to argue spontaneous combustion is not a real safety hazard to deal with. My "pile" of 4 to 5 two inch squares is misleading, but could make inexperienced finish users think spontaneous combustion is not a serious concern. I rarely use more than one 2"x2" rag soaked with finish and perhaps a second one to buff off excess that absorbs very little. I usually throw them away the next time I add a coat a day or two later but sometimes they stack up. But the bottom ones are already dry from use 1, 2 or 3 days before. Hardly a concern for spontaneous combustion. I probably should have mentioned cost but it is such a trivial difference to me I did not see the need to review. But I am sure I left some viewers wondering who were not used to buying the individual components and would not be able to do the math in their head. I use less than a quart a year so we are talking about a quart of store bought for say $20 versus 3 quarts of DIY for about $36. To me dealing with 3 cans with three sticky lids and the trouble of constantly mixing small batches and finding an appropriate small metal container or having 3 mixed batches of which one or two would like go bad before finishing more than outweighs the price difference of a cup of Starbucks. I will pin this comment so more readers will see my explanation.
Good video Mike, I had to watch it again after the AWG club discussion this week about the Antique oil being discontinued and seeing the comparison of different products.
I am too cheap to buy Odies or Osmos. I will certainly try the Minwax Tung Oil finish but I probably have a year before I run out of the Minwax AO. I see no advantages in a DIY finish.
Thanks for the video, Mike!
You bet, Lewis!
Good info to digest Mike. Thanks for sharing my friend
Take care all and stay safe and well
Cheers
Harold
Thanks, Harold. I would not have tried it but I had run out of Minwax AO.
Thanks for the demonstration. This comment may only be tangentially related, but for small items that are handled a lot; boxes, tool handles, bottle openers, etc. I have had good rest with Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil gunstock finish. It is as user-friendly as some others, and takes longer to cure completely, but it is durable. One more caveat -- it has a relatives short shelf-life after opening. Months rather than years. It isn't water soluble, so use what usually works with oil-based finishes to clean up.
Thanks for the tip, Brad.
I agree with everything you showed and said here Mike. I've been a fan of MinWax for over 30 years now. One thing I do differently is to let the applicators dry in single layers - i.e. I won't stack them because each layer acts like insulation to keep the exothermic heat in. (I use them to keep track of how many coats I've used.) Fun fact: the mineral spirits solvents used these days is called Stoddard Solvent. Thanks for sharing🙏 Take care. -Mike😷
Thanks for sharing, Mike.
I find that an old metal cookie tin with some water in it is a great place to put oily rags. I'm sure the way you are doing it is safe, but I have seen a couple dumpster fires from oily rags being thrown away before they totally dried and I'd rather be extra careful. It's crazy how fast they can burn up.
Thanks for all your videos, I have learned a ton from you! I had never used antique oil finish until watching one of your videos and now it's my second favorite finish behind Amber shellac. You're the man Mike!!!
Hard to stay too safe. Thanks so much for the feedback, Jacob!
my used rags go into an open metal can; which lately has been the large nuts cans from a warehouse store
Great idea for larger finishing rags.
Thank you, Mike, for another very helpful video. I agree, I don't think it's worth the time to be mixing my own finishes.
Exactly!
On re-using gloves: I find that I sweat when wearing the gloves making it difficult to get on for re-use. What I do is keep a container of baby powder in the shop and dust it on my hands before putting the gloves on. Let’s me re-use many times without ripping. I do this for both nitrile and vinyl gloves.
I have chemical waste cans from Northern Tool and put my oily rags in them. Removes one of the required elements for fire - oxygen
Great tip!
Thanks for the video, great master. Please give me a link to the video where you are talking about polishing wood products.
I am curious why you were not able to see the end cards in the last 20 seconds of the video> What device are you watching on and does it not show the end cards? Anyway, I added the link to the show notes.
Minwax Antique Oil is $90 a quart on Amazon today...October 9th 2024. I think I will try my own.
When my can of Minwax AO is empty I will try their Tung Oil.
I think the point you have demonstrated is that unless you can identify a real difference between commercial and DIY finishes, commercial finishes have the advantage of convenience - and when you are a typically busy retired guy, convenience counts for a lot!
That said, I do make my own wiping varnish using a 1:1:1 blend of high-quality alkyd spar varnish, turpentine, and pure Tung oil. I like the way it looks and handles, and I like the fact that its made is predominately vegetable-based components - turpentine and Tung oil - rather than petroleum-based components. And the spar varnish that I use has a UV inhibitor that prevents darkening and helps retain the color of the wood.
I mix my varnish in small quantities (about 3 oz) in recycled spice jars - I can use a jar two or three times before it becomes so gunked up that the cap no longer fits right and I have to toss it. Fortunately, my wife goes through spices at about the same rate that I go through varnish, so I have a constant supply of jars.
Gunked up lids is a pain with so many. I find the flip top plastic lid on the Minwax ca ns easier to deal with then the screw on "safety" lids that require pushing down and turning.
@@monophoto1 I’ve been draping a double layer of wax paper over the jars or cans before screwing down the lid. Never have a problem getting the lid off.
InterestingMike.
I like to make my own 1:1:1 finish substituting Walnut Oil for BLO and Naphtha (aka White Gas / Coleman Fuel) instead of mineral spirits. The walnut oil is very much lighter in color than BLO and will not darken/yellow light colored woods as much. The naphtha makes it dry and cure more quickly. I also make it in small batches so that I do not have a quart can of opened commercial finish sitting around for an extended period.
Thanks for sharing! I did not realize Coleman fuel was naphtha. I have a can that might be 20 years old. Wonder if it is any good? I may try your recipe if I make another batch.
Mike thanks for the tips. Just a slight correction. The nitrile gloves are not inexpensive anymore. They gone from $5.99 at HF to over $20 / box since Covid. Are you still running off of your pre-covid box?
Yes, thanks for the update!
👍🇺🇸