Oil, Varnish, Shellac: 3 Simple Finishes

Oil, Varnish, Shellac: 3 Simple Finishes
with Master Woodworker Gary Rogowski
Thu, Dec 10, 2020 – Thu, Dec 10, 2020
Level: All Levels Welcome

Finally! Demystify finishing. Join us for two hours of straightforward information on hand applied finishes.

Forget spray booths, dust-free shops, and hard-to-apply finishes. Instead learn how to use simple hand-applied oil, varnish, and shellac finishes that will make your work glow. These finishes have easy application qualities while supplying a protective barrier to your furniture.

You will learn about reactive finishes first: oils and oil based varnishes. There are drying and non-drying oils, linseed vs. tung oils, and wiping varnishes. What are the best application methods in a small shop space? How many coats do I need? Are oil finishes dangerous?

We will progress to finishes with more body that use oil as a vehicle: wiping varnishes. These include oil-varnish mixtures, wiping oils, and polymerized tung oils–an array of possibilities to learn.

Last we will talk about shellac, the miracle finish. What’s your finishing question? Shellac is the answer.

Shellac is a hot finish, a solvent release finish using alcohol as its solvent. Get practical information on using shellac either pre-mixed or mixing up your own. Learn about padding and brushing shellac and how to rub it out to a magically smooth surface. 

Gary Rogowski is the Director of The Northwest Woodworking Studio in Portland, OR. He has been designing and building furniture since 1978. His design work has been shown at museums and galleries nationwide. As a Contributing Editor at Fine Woodworking Magazine for fourteen years, he wrote, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery. It is now in its 18th printing and translated into several languages. His latest book is entitled Handmade: Creative Focus in the Age of Distraction, Linden Publishing.

Follow him on Twitter @GaryRogowski and listen to his practical, philosophical and humorous podcast: “Splinters with Gary Rogowski”.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/splinters-with-gary-rogowski/id1435736860