Any finishes to use indoors

[Paul]

As I live in a mobile home, no garage, I need a finish I can apply indoors. The weather is getting to the point that it's not going to be possible to go outside and spray lacquer or anything simliar. I don't want to fill the house with noxious and dangerous fumes. It would be possible to close the door to a spare room, open a window, and run a fan. Is there anything decent that can be used in these circumstances? Normaly, I have just shut down woodworking for the winter, but now I have customers for the small items I make, and I need to keep going if possible.

[Pat Barber]

[nailshooter41]

Pat is right. But to amplify a bit, don't forget to use your fan ventilation system. There is little safe about the water borne finishes except that they are just **less** noxious than their solvent based counterparts.

They off gas a lot of things that are really bad for you including ammonia(s) and formaldehyde.

Put the fan in the window, crack the door behind you for a more positive air flow, and finish away. Leave the fan on and the door cracked for a couple of hours until the bulk of the gases are gone.

Robert

[Paul]

[willadams]

A chairmaker who presented at the college I attended stated that his finish (if I remember correctly) was simply lemon oil furniture polish rubbed on, then wiped w/ a wet cloth, then repeated (not sure how many times or even if he gave a number). Obviously done after raising the grain and sanding that off. Never tried it, but have always meant to

--- has anyone else used this, or tried it or am I obviously mis- remembering something?

William

[SonomaProducts.com]

. Is there anything decent

If you don't have any open flame and can get a little ventilation you can use Shellac. It uses alcohol so very flammable but it gases out in

5-10 minutes or less dry to the touch. Alcohol is a bit noxious but you could just buy a good 3M respirator (they have them at home depot now) with a gas filter and the room will clean in 10 minutes.

[Larry Blanchard]

I'm in the same situation and have applied shellac indoors on many occasions. Ventilation is always good, but I confess to not using it all the time. The alcohol smell from the shellac goes away quickly.

But if you foolishly do a large project with no ventilation just remember: Do not operate power tools while intoxicated :-).

Someone else suggested water based finishes. To me they smell worse than shellac and I don't know what's in those fumes. Others will have other opinions.

[SonomaProducts.com]

P.S. I haven't learned to use waterbased products myself but my early experience with them was one of the nastiest smells ever and I decided I didn't want to do finishing if I had to smell that crap. Maybe the new stufff is better.

[Larry Jaques]

I'm positive that if you thought about it, you actually heard "linseed", not "lemon". Lemon oil (scented mineral oil) doesn't build at all, but it collects dust. Linseed oil, especially boiled, does.

I believe that the ancient formula for applying boiled linseed oil was: once a day for a week, once a week for a month, and once a month for a year. Quick finish, eh?

-- The unexamined life is not worth living. --Socrates

[Lew Hodgett]

-------------------------------------- Try to find a one car garage that you can heat when needed.

Lew

[willadams]

You're most certainly correct --- drat that uncertain organic memory. Really appreciate your taking the time to set me straight.

William

[Puckdropper]

Larry Blanchard wrote in news:j9145r$2il$ [e-mail]:

I've found I adjust to the smell of the alcohols in the shellac really quickly, but if I go away for a few hours and come back again I can smell it.

Lowes has an activated charcoal furnace filter for around $10. It helps a little bit with finishing odors, but the best thing is to exhaust outside.

Puckdropper

[Artemus]

Not mentioned yet is plain wax. It's not very durable but fits your environmental needs to a T. Art

[Larry Jaques]

Yeah, except it doesn't protect wood from moisture (no eating or drinking on them) or alcohol (no drinks or beers on them), so in most houses, they're unprotected. Nix the wax.

-- The unexamined life is not worth living. --Socrates

[Artemus]

Unlike you I don't have a crystal ball telling me the OP needs protection from alcohol or water for his projects. Wax will do just fine for xmas ornaments, picture frames, toys, and many other *small items* the OP could be making making. Art

[notImpressed]

I like shellac.

[Paul]

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------- Cut it with more denatured alcohol.

Try a 1# cut.

Directions are on can.

Lew

[David Balderstone]

General Finishes' water-based stains and finishes are damn-near odour free. Lovely stuff.