Read Jeff Jewitt’s recent article about Watco over aniline dye in the latest (No. 157) FWW. Thanks for sharing a simple yet VALUABLE nugget of information!
I made some small picture frames and also cut up some test pieces so I could try it myself. I used Watco Dark Walnut over Moser’s Dark Fumed Oak water-based aniline dye and I’m VERY PLEASED with the color, the tone, the transparency of the finish on quartered white oak. It’s exactly the color I’ve been trying to achieve and I’m very happy with the results.
I gotta try Jeff’s/Homestead’s Dark Mission Brown aniline dye…I’d probably achieve total consciousness…so I got that goin’ for me…
I’d like to try the Watco/aniline dye on some reproduction Stickley tables that are just about ready for finishing. I have to have a more durable topcoat for the tabletops. Watco recommends Varathane. For a number of reasons, I prefer a wiping varnish like Bartley’s or Minwax Antique Oil. Has anyone used Bartley’s Gel Varnish over a Watco finish? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
tony b.
Measure twice, cut once.
Measure once, buy twice.
Replies
Bartley's will work fine over Watco. Both are oil based products and fully compatible. Just be sure the Watco is fully dry, 4-6 days.
Don't use Minwax Antique Oil. That is not a wiping varnish. It is an oil/varnish product almost identical to the natural Watco finish. It is a finish that needs to be able to penetrate the wood to work. The Watco will have sealed the pores and more oil/varnish will lead to a sticky mess.
You could use a true wiping varnish like Formby's Tung Oil Finish, or Minwax Wiping Varnish. Or, you can make your own by mixing your favorite varnish 50/50 with naphtha and wiping it on. Use only a gloss varnish, not a satin. Wipe it on like the kid at Denny's wipes your table. Get it on fast and don't go back over any spots you missed--you'll get them on the next coat. Put on a second coat as soon as the first is tack free. Let it dry now for 24-48 hours and lightly sand with 320 to flatten the surface. Now apply 4-6 more coats without sanding between coats. Let the whole thing fully cure until it no longer emits an odor and then apply a coat of paste wax using either 0000 steel wool or a gray scotchpad.
Thanks for your reply!
I tried Bartley's over the Watco on my test pieces. They were coated with Watco a little over a week ago, they didn't smell any more, and so the oil should be dry. I put three coats of Bartley's and it looks fine. I imagine an additional two or three coats would be sufficient for a table top giving me the protection I want over the exact color I want.
My biggest concern was a good bond between the Watco and the Bartley's. I was fairly confident they would be compatible, but I thought a quick post to the forum would be a safe bet...and your quick reply is GREATLY appreciated.
I've tried the naptha/poly blend awhile back, mixing 50% naptha with 50% fast drying poly based on another FWW article from the past...may also have been authored by Jeff Jewitt, but I can't say for certain. I liked the results, and this technique is another tool I have available to me.
tony b.
Start square, finish square.
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