lowlander Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 my grandad covered one of the sticks i cut a few years ago in white spirit today, he said that it could be used as a varnish, is this true :look: lowlander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badshot Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Think his memory might be a little rusty, the can he should have used is linseed oil I would have thought. The white spirit will have given it a good clean though. Someone will now post that it makes excellent varnish and I will be the one who is losing his memory. :look: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick miller Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 I use white spirit to thin the first coat of any oil applied to my sticks. Thinning the first coat helps it to penetrate faster. I haven't heard of it acting as a varnish. I don't like varnishing my sticks, it tends to flake and chip with age, not to mention the inevitable yellowing. A regular wipe over with linseed or danish oil will keep it in good shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neels Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 The ever patient google tells me that white spirits can be used a solvent for many wood preservatives, but on its own it would probably only have anti-fungus properties Neels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted August 28, 2009 Report Share Posted August 28, 2009 It will just evaporate. Is good as a thinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delbert Posted August 29, 2009 Report Share Posted August 29, 2009 my grandad covered one of the sticks i cut a few years ago in white spirit today, he said that it could be used as a varnish, is this true lowlander I think what you are meaning is Oil Dressing which is absolutely the thing to use on gunstocks and in days gone by on furniture. Correctly applied it gives a hard finish which is easily refinished should it become scratched. There are a lot of patent recipes but the simplest is a mixture 50/50 of boiled linseed oil and natural turpentine - not turps substitute ( white spirit ) I do drop in a little wax but its not strictly necessary. Its possible your grandpa was pulling your leg as white spirit is what the colonials used to call meths and can be used to carry Shellac very different smell tho' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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