Building a new van and I want it to be as environmental and as plastic free as possible. Decorating is very dirty work and needs a lot of research.
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Varnish
Components of classic varnish
Drying oil
There are many different types of drying oils, including linseed oil, tung oil, and walnut oil. These contain high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Resin
Resins that are used in varnishes include amber, kauri gum, dammar, copal, rosin (pine resin), sandarac, balsam, elemi, mastic, and others. Shellac is also a resin. In the 1900s in Canada, resins from local trees were used to finish pianos[citation needed]. As a result, these now antique pianos are considered difficult to refinish. However, shellac can be used over the existing resins provided sufficient time is allowed for thin coats to cure. Thus the original finish can be returned to its original lustre while preserving the color and age-related crackle.
Solvent (traditionally turpentine)
Traditionally, natural (organic) turpentine was used as the thinner or solvent, but has been replaced by several mineral-based turpentine substitutes such as white spirit or “paint thinner”, also known as “mineral spirit”.
Varnish is made of drying oils + resin , without it it’s an oil impregnate…
Any oil will do, proportion is not so important. Tung is antifungal (protects from rot some) linseed is not. Boiled tung oil gives harder surface then boiled linseed. Both are often sold with dryers added (modified).
Resins are many, most practical is synthetic alkyd (phenolic, phthalic). Resins are mostly mixed with oils hot.
Dryers are metal salts (zinc is clear, for varnishes) in turpentine. Or metal oxides, serve also as pigments (cetol has iron oxide). They are not exactly necessary, just for faster hardening of oils. Japan dryers nowadays is just a name, originally it contained gum resins.
Turpentine is added as thinner but also makes a part of varnishes. Other thinners can be kerosene, gasoline (mineral spirits), alcohol – depending also on other ingredients included. Wax may be added (not much) for better protection, and gives flat finish.
But for home formulas this may be of interest: http://books.google.pl/books?id=WuuY…page&q&f=false
Spar varnish (elastic) originally was made of tung or linseed oil, rosin (natural pine resin), turpentine + sulphur and some gums. Modern is best from tung and alkyd.DIY varnish recipe
with thanks to
THIN:
Linseed + Tung base 50%
Turpentine essence 20%
Orange essence 20% eBay
Camellia oil 10%
THICK:
Linseed + Tung base 50%
Turpentine essence 18%
Orange essence 18%
Camellia oil 9%
Carnauba wax 5%
recipe taken from the website here with a discussion of where to get the Ingredients here.
But as we are not in America I have sourced some Uk suppliers.See all our related posts here
Some notes
Make Your Own Oil/Varnish Blend
The standard mixture is 1/3 Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil, 1/3 thinner (mineral spirits, paint thinner, turpentine, naptha), and 1/3 varnish (poly, spar, etc..).
Ingredients for a natural varnish
Turpentine
Waxes (Prepared recipes)
Simple beeswax polish
Hot melt 1 part beeswax in a double boiler and add 3 parts turpentine (genuine turpentine, not petroleum spirit based substitutes). Make at least a pint, because otherwise it’s easier just to buy it (your beekeeper often sells it).
Creamed beeswax
A softer and easily buffed version that’s good for leather. Can leave a residue in the pores of open-grained bone or wood.
5oz beeswax, melted in the double boiler.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 pint of turpentine in a large vessel.
Mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia with 1 pint of water.
Add the ammoniated water to the wax and stir hard.
Pot it while still warm.
Glossy wax polish
Good for polishing wood or bone to a high sheen.
Melt 3 parts beeswax with 1 part carnauba wax.
Remove from heat, stir in 3 parts of turpentine.
Commercial wax
All-natural ingredients — made from orange oil, vegetable binder (linseed oil, wood oil, dehydrated castor oil and sunflower oil-stand oils, colophony glycerine ester), and dryers (lead-free)
Versatile — may be used on hardwood or softwood flooring, furniture, molding, doors, window casing, stone, and unglazed tiles
Nontoxic and safe — free of petroleum distillates, mineral spirits and hazardous chemicals
AURO NATURAL PAINTS
NATURAL WOOD HARD OIL WOODEN FLOORS – ECO FRIENDLY NON TOXIC AURO 126
£33.00 inc VAT 750ml