Now I need to finish a bench. I would be grateful for suggestions.

Sun, Oct 16, 2005, 9:38am (EDT-3) [email protected] (Jim)
clarly mumbles:
I just built a nice strong bench with MDF for my metalworking vice and
have no Poly or any other durable finishes around.
I do have oil based and wash up in water fence and deck stains and I'm
wondering if these will work to protect the MDF from the odd splash of
water. <SNIP>

Ah, it's posts like this that just keepsucking me back into this
group. Maybe it's just me, but if it's only an "occasional" splash of
water, I'd just wipe them up, and not sweat it. But, I'd probably opt
for the oil baed stain, if that's all I had. Then, if I was really
worried, I'd wax it too. Or, you could just get some paint later, and
paint it with your vice on - or even, gasp, take your vice off later,
paint the bench, and put your vice back.

Me, I have a metalworking vise. I've got some minor vices, but
water doesn't bother any of them.



JOAT
Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person
who doesn't get it.

On Sun, 16 Oct 2005 16:25:33 -0400, [email protected] (J T) wrote:

>Sun, Oct 16, 2005, 9:38am (EDT-3) [email protected] (Jim)
>clarly mumbles:
>I just built a nice strong bench with MDF for my metalworking vice and
>have no Poly or any other durable finishes around.
>I do have oil based and wash up in water fence and deck stains and I'm
>wondering if these will work to protect the MDF from the odd splash of
>water. <SNIP>
>
> Ah, it's posts like this that just keepsucking me back into this
>group. Maybe it's just me, but if it's only an "occasional" splash of
>water, I'd just wipe them up, and not sweat it. But, I'd probably opt
>for the oil baed stain, if that's all I had. Then, if I was really
>worried, I'd wax it too. Or, you could just get some paint later, and
>paint it with your vice on - or even, gasp, take your vice off later,

I'm not bolting this heavy sucker down until I get my tin for underneath.

>paint the bench, and put your vice back.
>
I plan to cover the half under my vice with sheet metal, when I get some, it
will be my welding corner in my small shop. I make a lot of stuff out of
concrete (planters, bricks etc) as well, on an arborite bench right next to
this one so it will get wet from wet bowls and splashes.
I have paint but no oil paint. I expect the oil base deck stain to do better.

I still have tools and stuff out in the yard and expect snow any day now so I'm
trying to avoid any trips to town and use up what I have laying around to get
these jobs done..


> Me, I have a metalworking vise. I've got some minor vices, but
>water doesn't bother any of them.
>
I prefer my whiskey, when I have any around, with ice.:)
That's another trip to town.

Thanks for the tips.

Jim <[email protected]> wrote:

: I just built a nice strong bench with MDF for my metalworking vice and have no
: Poly or any other durable finishes around.
: I do have oil based and wash up in water fence and deck stains and I'm wondering
: if these will work to protect the MDF from the odd splash of water.
: I would love to get this done today so I can mount my vice and get to hobbying
: without the costly and time consuming 3 hour trip to town.
: I have Briwax as well if that will help.

: I decided to use the oil I use in my compressor in my airtools. I hope I made
: the right choice.:)


Probbaly not the best -- oil compressor oil remains liquid, so I would
imagine the MDF would suck it up and leave the surface unprotected. best
would be a curing oil, or oil-varnish blend.

-- Andy Barss

On Sun, 16 Oct 2005 09:38:42 -0700, Jim <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>I just built a nice strong bench with MDF for my metalworking vice and have no
>Poly or any other durable finishes around.
>I do have oil based and wash up in water fence and deck stains and I'm wondering
>if these will work to protect the MDF from the odd splash of water.
>I would love to get this done today so I can mount my vice and get to hobbying
>without the costly and time consuming 3 hour trip to town.
>I have Briwax as well if that will help.
>
I decided to use some exterior deck stain base that never had color added.
Bought by accident and never returned.
When it dries I'll Briwax it.
Or should I leave it as is? 3/4 MDF is pricey and I'd hate for it to swell up if
it get's wet.

On Sun, 16 Oct 2005 18:17:28 +0000 (UTC), Andrew Barss
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Jim <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>: I just built a nice strong bench with MDF for my metalworking vice and have no
>: Poly or any other durable finishes around.
>: I do have oil based and wash up in water fence and deck stains and I'm wondering
>: if these will work to protect the MDF from the odd splash of water.
>: I would love to get this done today so I can mount my vice and get to hobbying
>: without the costly and time consuming 3 hour trip to town.
>: I have Briwax as well if that will help.
>
>: I decided to use the oil I use in my compressor in my airtools. I hope I made
>: the right choice.:)
>
>
>Probbaly not the best -- oil compressor oil remains liquid, so I would
>imagine the MDF would suck it up and leave the surface unprotected. best
>would be a curing oil, or oil-varnish blend.
>
Sorry for the misunderstanding Andy, I didn't use the compressor oil on the
bench, I used it in my air tools. I couldn't find the oil for my air tools.
Now I have nothing around to finish my bench except exterior deck stains.
When I moved I left a lot of little stuff behind and now being an hour away from
town I'm trying to get my shop set up before the snow flies without having to
make the almost 3 hour rounder to town.