[TheForge] Cheap clear finish question

[Gladish Family]

Couple things about this:
	Watco needs to be wiped when wet, not when tacky or dry. If you wait until
it has set up, it will be gummy- on wood or metal. The clear finish has very
active dryers that help with the gumminess, so he doesn't have to be
fastidious with the wiping. Great system. Make sure it's lacquer and not an
acrylic topcoat, though!
	Jeff M. is taking a big chance with that brown rag. So far he's apparently
been lucky: Many woodworkers, especially, can relate sad stories of lovely
shops that burned to the ground because an oily rag was left in a wad, or
even folded and hanging. This isn't just an urban legend, I've seen it
happen.
Blacksmiths tend to have more fire-resistant shops than woodworkers by far,
but I'm about as careful when I lay down an oily rag as I am when I leave
fire in my forge and go away.
Andy G.

Jeff Mohr uses watco oil on a routine basis and gets great results.  (I
> wrote up his procedure here last summer)  He keeps a groody looking can of
> watco with an old brush in it in a little finishing room off his shop and
> works in front of a window fan (For Osha).  He sort of casually paints the
> watco over the steel item and immediately wipes off the excess with an old
> rag that's laying there for that purpose.  Then in less time than it takes
> to describe he picks up his can of K-mart's cheapest clear spray paint and
> sprays the lamp or whatever.  (note, he does not wait for the watco to dry
> or take any pains to get it out of crevices, other than wiping
> with the old
> brown rag that has obviously made a living wiping watco for some time).