# best finish for.ply slingshot



## PLauGE (May 30, 2011)

i have some nice 11 sheet 18mm hardwood plywood which ive been using to make my frames, theyve turned out really good, im just not happy with the finish

id started off with a few.coats of.boiled linseed oil, which looks great till it dries then i find it looks really dull

i then thought id try polyurethane, nothing else, not sure if it was the brand i was using but it was terrible, really hard to get the coat on even, and once dried it felt like holding something thats had superglue chucked over it

i then tried a few coats of BLO and polyurethane to finish, which turned out a little better, has a bit of a shine yo it which is what im wanting, but still struggling to get the coats even so looks a little patchy in places

im still reading really good things about polyurethane, so if its your go to choice could you.please post a link so i can get the exact brand youve tried

any other finnishes worth trying?

many thanks

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## mattwalt (Jan 5, 2017)

A Superglue finish works very well. I also have used rattle-can varnish with good results (no BLO though). I do more than one coat with a light sanding in between to remove unevenness...


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## devils son in law (Sep 2, 2014)

I apply a coat or 2 of finish paste wax to get that shine after using oil.


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## Stankard757 (Apr 20, 2020)

For me high grit sanding BLO and paste wax

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## flipgun (Nov 14, 2012)

Tru-Oil for me.


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## cromag (Jan 17, 2021)

I'm with flipgun , nothing but Tru-oil anymore although I just picked up some japan drier and I'm going to try making my own. It's a little more time intensive but comes out nice and fool proof once you take the plunge. Wipe on ploy works better than the spray for me which always ends up with grit from not having a dust free room. Power buffing is the only way I can get poly to look "right". BLO is quick and easy but,,,,,,,,,,,,


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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

Wipe on about 10 coats of high gloss tung oil. You get a finish that looks about an inch deep.


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## Tree Man (Jun 30, 2016)

I use a rattle can, but I aspire to move up to a cup gun. Someday


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## SLING-N-SHOT (Jun 5, 2018)

Grandpa Grumpy said:


> Wipe on about 10 coats of high gloss tung oil. You get a finish that looks about an inch deep.


GP, do you scuff between coats, like with a Scotchbrite pad or anything else to level the finish before applying each successive coat ?

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## Grandpa Grumpy (Apr 21, 2013)

SLING-N-SHOT said:


> Grandpa Grumpy said:
> 
> 
> > Wipe on about 10 coats of high gloss tung oil. You get a finish that looks about an inch deep.
> ...


I wipe the tung oil on with a lint free rag. I use very thin coats. I try to wipe off any excess to reduce bubbles,etc. I use very fine steel wool or 1000 grit wet/dry sand paper between coats. It will take three to five coats before it even starts to look like anything. The first few coats will soak in and dry very quickly (2 - 3 hours depending on temps and humidity). As the coats build up I usually wait 24 hours between coats. If it even feels slightly tacky,I wait. There is nothing worse than having to sand and start over because steel wool got into a tacky finish.


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## gmcookvt (Apr 29, 2021)

I just started making plywood frames. I've been using rattlecan laquer (satin). I put on around 4 coats. since the coats dry to the touch quickly, you can reapply coats fast. I want to try some truoil next.


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