[Alaskabirchcane]

I have made several pristine canes and walking sticks out of this wood. I believe it is for sure the best material I have worked with in my short time of doing this. I would like some ideas on sealing and curing for these masterpieces of the 49th state collection. Some have suggested a fine tounge oil. Any one care to help?

 

[Rodney]

Welcome aboard!

I use Tung oil followed by buffing with steel wool and wax on most of my canes. I like the finish and prefer oils over film finishes for canes. I think either Tung Oil or Boiled Linseed Oil are more durable than film finishes like polyurethane or varnish. Are you leaving the bark on or peeling them? Any oil based finish will add some yellow to the color. I have one birch cane I made. I left the bark on and used a water based finish on it to cut down on the yellowing.

Pictures? We love pictures here and I know I'm always interested in seeing what other makers are working on.

Rodney

 

[CV3]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am a big fan of Tung oil as a finish. Your oil finishes are not as affected with extreme temperature as your varnishes can be. Danish oil is a good weather resistant choice also. It is a combination of oils and varnish the type of oils used can very by manufacturers. Most often it is linseed oil or Tung oil.

 

[LilysDad]

I have mentioned on here before that I prefer a home made mixture that is well known among wood workers. It is a blend of equal parts of BLO, spar varnish, and turpentine or mineral spirits. It is applied in the same way as an oil finish. The advantage is having the look and feel and ease of application of oil along with the protection from moisture and UV rays of spar varnish. I've been told if I use turpentine, I should use the better quality available at artist's supply, but I haven't explored that yet.

 

[RandyL476]

Welcome to the forum looking forward to seeing some pictures.

 

[dww2]

I have made several canes and sticks from yellow birch and a couple from white birch. I like the toughness of a polyurethane finish, personally, but everyone has their favorite.

Welcome aboard.

Dana

 

[Alaskabirchcane]

Ebony stain on a white burch walking stick is all that is finished for now