I have an uncle that is into woodworking and I know he would t mind me making a crude (lol) wood handle. My question is what kind of clear coat should I use after I stain. I would need something that I could soak in water cause I like to soak my natural hair knots in water and some of the handle is submerged in water in my old spice mug.. Thanks!
In my opinion, the best finish for brushes (and pens for that matter) is a CA finish (thin super glue in several layers). It will produce a hard, waterproof, shine. Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
Awesome I've seen people use that on wood pen videos. I think making one on his lathe might be a worthwhile project. Thanks
I think @Jayaruh uses Polycrylic. It doesn't yellow like some others. I've been using Acrylic Lacquer in spray cans and it levels out to a smooth finish.
Any urethane "deck" finish will do a good job with water resistance. For me, personally, I'd probably use an oil based stain, and oil seal the wood. (you can then use an oil based urethane if you want to). The reason is that oil fills the wood cells (I'm being VERY simplistic), and thus water isn't allowed in. The problem with cyanoacrylates is that they are very brittle. For a pen, not as big of a deal, as you won't be impacting things very hard. With a brush, you WILL end up banging it against your bowl, sink, hanger, floor, random animal.. So you'll want something with a bit of flex. Urethanes are slightly flexible, which is why they're used for floor finishes. If you REALLY want a thick shiny coat, you'll want to use a 'mix and pour' "plastic", and then paint it on. Another thing to keep in mind. When you insert the knot into the handle, if you've already sealed the handle, you'll be bonding to the finish, not to the wood. A workaround is to NOT finish the inside of the handle, and then use whatever you're gluing the knot with to seal the wood before/as you insert the knot. That will allow the epoxy, or whatever (E-6000, CA, Shoe-Goo.. ) to bond to the wood itself. Check with some of the woodworking forums on what they use for sealing wooden bowls, used for eating. What it boils down to is this. How waterproof does it need to be? Even nitrocellulose lacquers, such as what Gillette used for decades, are reasonably waterproof. They just yellow slightly with time (not a problem for a gold plated razor), and if you soak for TOO long, they'll soften up.
Yeah, when I paint a wooden handle, I only paint on the inside walls and leave the bottom bare to add a little waterproofing on the sides and for the glue to adhere better to the bottom.
I had an unfinished horn quaich I got at a medieval / Renaissance Faire as a period drinking vessel. I didn't dry it completely after using it one time and the horn on the inside of the bowl started to delaminate. I filled the "blisters" with waterproof glue and then decided to turn it into my lathering bowl since I wasn't sure about it being food or drink safe. So I coated it inside and out with a waterproof glue. Which peeled off in almost complete sections within a week of starting lathering. So I refinished it with a couple coats of an outdoor deck varathane finish. Which peeled off within three weeks of use. So I took the advice of a guy on the 30 Day Clinic thread who makes woodhandled brushes and refinished it with a couple thin coats of marine grade urethane. After a further three months of use, the horn is still completely stabilized and the finish on it looks like new. Marine grade urethane gets my vote. As mentioned though, on a brush that has not yet been knotted, leave the inside of the socket raw and let the epoxy or silicone you use completely coat the inside both to finish that part of the wood and to provide a proper bond for the knot.
any specific kinds of Marine grade urethane? what are some examples? also whats the price on those for a small amount..
The one I used was by a company called Armor Coat and was called Spar Varnish (plastic resin). I got a 235ml can (roughly a half pint) which I think cost me somewhere between $5 and $10 Canadian. I selected this particular brand and type very carefully based on the fact that it was what was available on the shelves in my local hardware store...
Another thing to consider. _several coats_. This is where @Screwtape might have had some issues with the thinner urethane. Just one or two coats isn't generally very coating. When I'm building a wooden box, for example, I've done up to eleven coats of polish. That's the coat, dry, light sand, wipe, recoat, and repeat the process.
Could well have been a factor. Since the marine grade urethane spar varnish is sticking so well, however, I guess I will never go back to the thinner varathane again to find out... My current theory, for what it's worth, is that deck varathane is meant to protect wood against occasional moisture, while marine urethane spar varnish is meant to protect wood that is constantly in a wet environment. Since shaving brushes or bowls are regularly going to be immersed in water for varying periods of time, why not go for the higher grade of protection?
No reason not to. Even Spar Urethane is meant to go on with more than one coat. You might want to buff it with some 0000 steel wool, lightly, wipe with a damp rag, then put a second (or third) coat on at some point. The reason that nitrocellulose lacquers are used even today is the same reason that shellac is still used. The second coat merges into the first coat, so you don't end up with the layering effect that some urethanes will have. You're not going to notice that with your horn I think I've figured out some of the complaints that people on B&B were making about the finish being damaged by an ultrasonic cleaner. The nitrocellulose lacquer is water resistant, but when you soak a razor for three days in Dawn and water, it softens the lacquer, which then is peeled loose/dissolved by the cavitation. Those people aren't losing the plating, they're losing the yellow tinted lacquer. (The 'dark gold' razors use a yellow tinted lacquer to make them a deeper 'gold' colour. It was common for Victorian era brass, as well, to make it look more like gold)
I did either two or three coats on both the varathane and the marine urethane when I put them on. The varathane didn't stick - either it needed a lot more coats or it just wasn't going to. The urethane did.
I have had no issues. I personally do not soak any of my brushes. I just wet the bristles/hairs, shake it off, and go to the soap. It is easier to apply and clean up, and it does not yellow over time.
