Replies

1. 
   saschafer | Jun 20, 2008 03:59pm | #1

   You will get many opinions on this, but one of the most popular finishes is made from 2 oz. beeswax and 1 pt each of boiled linseed oil and turpentine. Cut the beeswax up into small pieces, then allow to fully dissolve in the turpentine (usually overnight). Add the linseed oil and you're ready to go.

   Apply a fairly liberal coat and let it penetrate for a half-hour or so. Top up any places that dry out during that time. Wipe off all of the excess then allow to dry overnight. The next day, apply a thin coat, but you don't have to wipe this one up afterwards (unless you manage to pool it here or there). Reapply thin coats every six months or so.

   -Steve

    

    

1. 
   TomsTimber | Jun 21, 2008 10:38am | #6

   Thanks for your input and suggestions.
   Tom

2. 
   TomsTimber | Jun 21, 2008 10:52am | #9

   Thanks Steve,This sounds like the forgotten recipe that I had seen. Thanks for the info.Tom

2. 
   HowardAcheson | Jun 20, 2008 05:49pm | #2

   A film finish (lacquer, shellac, varnish, poly varnish) is not the way to finish a workbench top. A workbench is going to get dinged and film finishes will crack or craze or be otherwise damaged. Once a film finish is penetrated, it looses its effectiveness and adjacent areas begin to fail. No treatment is going to make a soft wood benchtop harder. I much favor a "in the wood finish". Here are two that lots of folks find effective.

   First, is an boiled linseed oil and wax finish. Sand the surface to 180 grit. Mix paraffin or bees wax into heated boiled linseed oil. USE A DOUBLE BOILER TO HEAT THE OIL. The ratio is not critical but about 5-6 parts of boiled linseed oil in a double boiler with one part paraffin or beeswax shaved in. Take it off the stove. Thin this mixture about 50/50 with mineral spirits to make a heavy cream like liquid. Apply this mixture to the benchtop liberally and allow to set overnight. Do it again the next day and again the following day if the top continues to absorb it. After a final overnight, lightly scrape off any excess wax and buff. This finish will minimize the absorption of any water and you can use a damp rag to wipe up any glue excess. Dried glue will pop right off the surface. Renewal or repair is easy. Just use a scraper to remove and hardened stuff, wipe down with mineral spirits using a 3/0 steel wool pad (a non-woven gray abrasive pad is better), wipe off the gunk and apply another coat of mineral oil/wax mixture.

   My personal preference is for an oil/varnish mixture treatment. Either use Minwax Tung Oil Finish, Minwax Antique oil or a homebrew of equal parts of boiled linseed oil, your favorite varnish or poly varnish and mineral spirits. Sand the benchtop up to 180 grit. Apply the mixture heavily and keep it wet for 15-30 minutes. Wipe off any excess completely. Let it dry overnight and the next day, apply another coat using a gray non-woven abrasive pad. Let it set and then wipe off any excess. Let this dry 48-72 hours. To prevent glue from sticking apply a coat of furniture paste wax and you're done. This treatment is somewhat more protective than the wax and mineral oil as the varnish component adds some protection from not only water both some other chemicals also. The waxing makes the surface a little more impervious to water so you can wipe up any liquid adhesive. It also allows hardened wax to be scraped off. Repair and renewal is easy. Just go throught the same scraping, wiping down with mineral spirits and reapplication of the BLO/varnish/mineral spirits mixture and an application of paste wax.

   Both of the above treatments are quite protective but are easy to maintain and renew. They do not fail when the surface takes a ding.

   Howie.........
1. 
   b52 | Jun 21, 2008 04:15am | #3

   Howie,

   Your answer -- and this question -- are timely for me.  I just finished my workbench, with a solid beech top made from laminating two 1-1/8" countertops prefabricated by IKEA.  Pedestrian, you say?  Yes, but the result is 2-3/16" of solid, flat top that feels right as a work surface.  I went through some mild agony over which finish to use, and then gave weight to the fact that the IKEA products were already "oiled" with some unnamed substance.  So I used two coats of Minwax tung oil "finish" as they call it.  Really, after the first coat the surface looked great, but after the second it has a sheen and resiliance that should serve me well, I hope.  I hadn't considered a topcoat of wax until your post, thinking that if and when I want to renew the oil, it would just be oil over old oil.  What about adding wax?  Down the road, will a new coat of tung oil finish go on evenly over aged wax, or would I need to remove the wax before resurfacing?  If the latter, then I think I'll pass on the wax.

   Thanks for your thoughts.

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Jun 21, 2008 05:55am | #4

   See the last sentence in my above response. Wiping with some mineral spirits and wiping it dry will remove any wax allowing the top to be recoated and then, rewaxed.Howie.........

1. 
   b52 | Jun 21, 2008 06:12am | #5

   Sounds easy.  Thanks.  Do you have a favorite wax?

1. 
   TomsTimber | Jun 21, 2008 10:45am | #8

   I have been using Johnson's and Briwax clear or neutral.Thanks,
   Tom

2. 
   HowardAcheson | Jun 21, 2008 06:06pm | #10

   I've used lots of waxes over the years and really find little difference. Currently I have two cans of Johnson Paste Wax so that's my favorite.Howie.........

2. 
   TomsTimber | Jun 21, 2008 10:41am | #7

   Thanks for your input Howie! You are a big help.
   Tom