Dragon Stool, Part 7
Last post on the dragon stool!
I really liked this project, partly because I have been thinking about it for so long, mostly because it’s a nice challenge with a good-looking and functional result.
The finish is an oil/varnish blend, traditionally consisting of varnish, tung or linseed oil, and mineral spirits. With all the VOC restrictions (mostly in California), it’s getting harder to find the ingredients. In the past, good oil-based varnishes were everywhere; now you may have to hunt to find them. Interior varnishes work best; exterior varnishes have extra oil added to make the dried finish more flexible. Polyurethane will also work and may be a little easier to find; just make sure it’s oil-based. Sometimes the labels can be confusing.
I haven’t purchased linseed or tung oil in a while. I have a gallon of boiled linseed oil I bought a while ago and have been using that. The hardest thing to find is real mineral spirits. It may be that it doesn’t exist anymore… What you find is a product “made with mineral spirits.” Up until a year or so ago, you could get the real thing outside of Los Angeles County, or outside California. But I recently returned from a road trip during which I looked in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. No one I checked with had real mineral spirits.
A good replacement is turpentine, a natural product made from pine trees. I understand it’s still available, although I haven’t looked for it recently. That will change soon, however, my stock of mineral spirits is about gone.
The finishing process is straightforward – brush on, let sit for a bit (until it gets a little tacky), and wipe off. Where I see people mess up is in the last step. They neglect to wipe it off consistently, leaving wet areas that then dry hard and glossy. You really want to get it all wiped off; I hope that’s clear in the video. Repeat the process three or four more times and you’re good to go.
Watch the final video here. And good luck if you make your own dragon stool!
