WATCO Teak oil

[Lynn Coffelt]

Usually use this stuff on some outdoor teak furniture each spring. This year I was shocked at the price. About 14 bucks for a quart can. It smells and cures just like boiled linseed oil, but obviously has a little thinner and some other waxlike sediment stuff that requires vigorous shaking before use. What exactly is this stuff, anyway? What makes a good, home-mixed oil finish for things like this? (sorry if this has been covered too many times, but I just don't remember or know how to look it up) Thanks in advance, Lynn

[bridger]

prolly, what... 60 or 70% linseed, 10 or 20% varnish and balanced with thinner or turps. tint to your heart's content with artist's oils.

[Mike G]

Starting formula is 1/3 each varnish, mineral spirits, curing oil of your choice (boiled linseed or tung).

You can vary it as you see fit.

[Lynn Coffelt]

Thanks for the responses. I am guessing that when one talks of "varnish" as an ingredient, it is an old fashioned oil base varnish, or spar varnish, but not poly, is that right? Lynn (slow but steady)

[Mike G]

If one goes by the general accepted meaning of the word varnish, a resin, curing oil, thinner/carrier mix poly is a varnish.

It's usually separated from the family because the level of the resins it uses forms a more damage resistant bond then the low octane stuff.

For all intents and purposes poly is applied and treated just like any other varnish.

Spar/marine varnish is what is called a long oil varnish. The formula used to make it calls for a larger percentage of curing oil to make the varnish more flexible and better able to accommodate the wider range of movment of wood exposed to the outdoor environment.