Minwax vs. Watco Wipe-on Poly. Probably more than you wanted to know.
Vince Heuring
I've been using Minwax satin Wipe-on Poly for some time and have been
very happy with it. The last time I tried to buy some at McGuckin's
Hardware here in Boulder they had switched to Watco, so having read
somewhere here that they were the same I decided to try some Watco. I
found them to be quite different. In particular the Watco seemed to
take more coats to build up my standard finish, and took longer to dry.
The back-of-can directions were different too. Watco had the standard
warning that you see on the back of all the oil finishes about proper
disposal of rags to avoid spontaneous combustion. Minwax did not.
So... I did a little detective work. First I poured the 1/2 oz of each
into small plastic cups and let them sit for a couple weeks.
Minwax: plasticy hard. Maybe a little soft when squeezed. Watco less
quantity of unevaporated material, quite soft when squeezed, oily on
top. My conclusion, which I later saw verified in some postings here,
is that Watco has a much higher percentage of oil than Minwax, which
seems to have little or none. (Minwax's suggested drying time between
coats: 2-3 hours. YMMV.)
Some other myths: Minwax and Watco are owned by the same company. In
fact, Watco is owned by "Rustoleum Brands," with a parent URL of
http://www.flecto.com/. They also own Varatane, BTW.
The Minwax web site says they've been in business for over 100 years. A
little googling shows that "Thomspson-Minwax" was bought by
Sherwin-Williams around 1997.
Anyway, I still like the Minwax a lot better.
Enough of this, I'm off to make some sawdust -- along with a curly
Maple hall table with walnut legs and drawer fronts.
--
Vince Heuring. To email, remove the Vince.
George
sure you know that Thompsons and Minwax were different companies, too.
I wouldn't expect a "Danish oil" to have the build or durability of a
declared varnish.
"Vince Heuring" <VinceH...@dimensional.com> wrote in message
news:190920041441498713%VinceH...@dimensional.com...
Pounds on Wood
wipe-on is just polyurethane in form that can be wiped on. Mainly just
thinned a bit, since you can wipe on any poly by thinning it a bit yourself.
You might have read that Watco and Minwax Tung Oil Finish are the same
thing. I would not say they are the same thing, but they both are a
polymerized oil, and might even have a little tung oil in the mix. Might
not too. I like the MTOF better than Watco when I want an oil finish.
Watco is too thin for my taste.
--
Bill Pounds
http://www.billpounds.com/woodshop
"Vince Heuring" <VinceH...@dimensional.com> wrote in message
news:190920041441498713%VinceH...@dimensional.com...
>
loutent
> >
> > Anyway, I still like the Minwax a lot better.
> >
I agree.
For a lot of the stuff around the house like finishing
kitchen cabinets, bath vanities, handrails etc, the
Minwax WOP (no ethnic slur intentended - I'm half
Italian!) is great. The fact that it dries quickly is
a definite plus in that you can apply multiple coats
in one day and dust settling is not a problem.
On some projects, I have used the gloss version
and I think that the results are better than anything
I have ever done with so little effort.
My 2ç.
Lou
Dennis
I am building a white pine dining room table and used Watco dark walnut danish
oil on it, after it dried i gave it two coats of Watco wipe on poly, sanded
and removed the dust, third coat did not go on as smooth. Lots of rag smears
and thick build up. My plan is to sand off tonight, and use Minwax because of
its thinner consistency. Any problems to avoid?
--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodworking/minwax-vs-watco-wipe-on-poly-probably-more-than-you-wanted-268838-.htm
Leon
> replying to Pounds on Wood, Dennis wrote:
> I am building a white pine dining room table and used Watco dark walnut
> danish
> oil on it, after it dried i gave it two coats of Watco wipe on poly, sanded
> and removed the dust, third coat did not go on as smooth. Lots of rag
> smears
> and thick build up. My plan is to sand off tonight, and use Minwax
> because of
> its thinner consistency. Any problems to avoid?
>
up the excess.
Switching brands probably will not yield better results.
You may try using a "good quality" foam brush, like Wooster, to apply a
thick even coat.