Scrollsaw Workshop Community -Please register to enable posting.
General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: Graywolf on March 10, 2012, 10:58:14 am
-
I have read post that say use Lemon Oil for finishing. I read several post that said use Lem oil furniture polish. I have tried every where to find it. All I can find is spray cans??? I have been to wally world (which I hate); Target among other places. I can not find a bottle of Lemon Oil???? Where do I get it?
-
Go to the house cleaning supplies in any grocery store. It will be among the furniture polishing items.
I found mine in an Ace hardware store even. ;D
Rog
-
just remember that lemon oil never fully cures, so you need to put a top coat of something over the top.
-
Hey Graywolf, Be aware that lemon oil never really dries. If you have a garage or a workshop, I recommend using a 50/50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. As with any oil, this will bring out the natural color of the wood and enhance the grain, but is not a final finish. After it dries, you can apply a top coat. I use Deft semi gloss spray lacquer. If you choose the linseed oil mix, let us know and we will explain the procedure.
-
Interesting. I recently heard about using Lemon Oil as well, but was not aware it does not dry.
Thanks for the heads up.
Would spray poly be okay after the Lemon Oil?
Good topic to bring up Graywolf.
-
spray poly is fine as a top coat.
-
I agree with Dan. I followed his suggestions and am very happy with the results. Even after multiple coats of lacquer, I still couldn't get what I wanted from lemon oil.
-
Thanks sgman and mrsn, I didn't relize that Lemon Oil didn't dry. Before started scrolling I always used stain and poly on my projects, which I really like. I don't know if I will use the Lemon Oil or not, but thanks for the input.
:-\
-
A brand we get here is called Murphy's oil, it comes in lemon and orange. My wife uses it twice a year to clean and shine her kitchen cupboard doors. I have never tried it on my pieces but it does leave a nice shine and smells good tooo. ;D
-
Thaks cdrover. I never thought about Murphy's oil. I may just try that.
-
Dan can you give me the procedure for the linseed oil mix please?
Marg
-
Sure Marg, I'll write it up a little latter today. I'm a slow typer and I need to get some other things done first!
-
Quite frankly, I've never quite understood the attraction of lemon oil as a finish. I realize that there are a number of folks out there that use it successfully, but like Dan, I prefer boiled linseed oil. I've tried reading up on it, to see what it is that I'm missing. Not a lot of info out there and some of what is out there can be misleading and contradictory. I'm just not sure what benefits lemon oil brings to the party.
-
Hey Bill, Our fearless leader Steve Good uses and recommends lemon oil. That's why you hear a lot about it here.
-
Hey Bill, Our fearless leader Steve Good uses and recommends lemon oil. That's why you hear a lot about it here.
Yes, I was aware of that. I had read some of Steve's blog entries regarding his use of lemon oil. I came away with the impression that other then liking the way it looked, even he didn't make a really strong case for using it.
I think part of the problem is defining just what lemon oil is. Some folks tend to get it mixed up with things like Lemon Pledge or other products that contain stuff like silicone and petroleum distillates and aren't really finishes at all, just a temporary polish. I'm skeptical of products that have lemon oil in their name but may or may not actually contain any real lemon oil. Finishing manufacturers engage in misleading marketing all the time. Just like with those products called tung oil finishes that contain no actual tung oil. I'm a firm believer that people should have an understanding of the finishes they use on their projects, the benefits and the limitations. At the very least, it helps avoid disappointment and perhaps might prevent us from ruining a project.
I'm not against using it( if I understood what "it" was) and certainly don't want to come off as being critical of anyone who does. I'm always interested in learning of new finish products and techniques. I first heard of lemon oil from a couple folks in my scroll saw club and when I asked them about it, they pointed me to this site, saying Steve used it. Then I read a number of posts and Steve's blog entries, but was still left wanting more definitive information. I did some of my own research on the web as well as in a couple highly regarded finishing books by Jewitt and Flexner. I can't say I've found much of anything that makes a strong case for it.
I apologize for the long-winded response and I'm sorry if I've offended any lemon oil proponents. I'll listen to anyone who wants to defend it and am quite willing to be taken to school, if someone can just explain it to me. ;)
-
I have used Lemon Oil for scrollsaw and carvings with good results.
I just made a Urn for my little dog, I made if from Brazilian Cherry and coated it with two
coats of "Old English Lemon Oil" I bought this at Homedepot. I also made a small display
with the wood and coated it with Danish Oil and it darkened the wood beautifully and was great
this way too. But the lemon oil brought out the wood color and grain. I have used lemon oil on my
scrolled parts this past Christmas and thought they worked fine. Also used for the kids teacher name
plaques I made them out of Oak. Danish oil is fine, but, is dark. The English lemon oil has worked fine
and I have only used 3/4 of one 8 oz bottle on about a dozen pieces and I haven't found the problem of not drying. It's a matter of choice and if I was going to put poly on for final coat, it would not be the Lemon Oil. But, I don't really put poly on Danish either.
Jim