# Finish on wood bases for Gasoline Engines



## Metal Butcher (Feb 17, 2011)

Today was a good day to cut up some wood bases for my current project. Before I drill holes in wood engine bases I like to put on a couple of coats of finish to protect the wood from oil stains. In the past I used Tru-oil, a gun stock finish. I ran out last year and forgot to order some in.

I have a can of Shellack on hand. On the can It says its a good sealer and finish.

The Question is.... will it hold up to getting gas spilled on it?

I don't have any woodworking experience to speak of, so some advise from a real wood pro would help. Or testimony from some one that has spilled gas repeatedly on some other finish with no ill effects 

-MB


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## kjk (Feb 17, 2011)

Nope. Shellac is normally dissolved in Alcohol and is easily attacked by other solvents.


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## steamer (Feb 17, 2011)

My first guess would be a Ureathane varnish.

I'm sure I will be summarily beaten now..  :hDe:

Dave


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## kd7fhg (Feb 17, 2011)

I would use a two part epoxy type of finish, the type that is used on wooden boats or bar and table top finish.
Rex


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 17, 2011)

kd7fhg  said:
			
		

> I would use a two part epoxy type of finish, the type that is used on wooden boats or bar and table top finish.
> Rex



Hi Rex, I heard of that before, a long time ago, thanks for jogging my memory. It looks like great durable stuff. I did a search on the internet and found some information on the product. I'll need to look into it further.

http://woodworkstuff.net/EpoxyPour1.html

-MB


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## Cedge (Feb 17, 2011)

Tung oil. Perhaps the most forgiving stuff you'll ever use. Self leveling and durable. I've even applied it with my finger and still gotten a smooth result. Several coats will give you a very deep clear finish. 

Steve


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## Omnimill (Feb 18, 2011)

I'd go with an Oiled finish as well, easily refinished anytime.

Vic.


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## Troutsqueezer (Feb 18, 2011)

Green paint. :big:


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## pelallito (Feb 18, 2011)

Whats wrong with fluorescent orange? ;D
Seiously, you might get hold of these guys-http://www.constantines.com/
I am sure they can help you.
Regards,
Fred


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## Dave G (Feb 18, 2011)

Tung Oil gets my vote, I use it on all my wood projects. Good old Homer Formby's from the hardware store. It stands up to firearm cleaning solvents and I've had no problem with Coleman's fuel. Dave


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## Metal Butcher (Feb 18, 2011)

Thanks every one for your input. Every one had a good suggestion or comment. I did more searching and checked to see what I have in my collection of paints and wood finishes (a lot of my stuff is old and stiff!), followed by checking on the internet. As far as I can tell the shellac sanding sealer can be used as an undercoat under most suitable solvent resistant finishes such as lacquer, oil of all types, varnish, and polyurethane. The Danish Oil I have is already to old and stiff, no I'm not talking about day old pastry!

I'm leaning towards using two coats of sanded shellac to seal the pores and level the wood surface. The top coats could be oil based poly made by Flecto. That's all I have without going out and buying something else. It seems to be well suited to resist damage from oil or gasoline.

I think it might be a good idea to try it on a scrap piece of wood first, before I commit to using it on the already cut and routed engine bases.

It seems that they (Flecto) don't make an 'oil based' polyurethane anymore?

Any comments on my choices?

http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-59086/Detail

-MB


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## steamer (Feb 18, 2011)

I would vote for the try it out route....Then you'll know

My boat is epoxy encapsulated....as the saying goes, marriage is a wonderful thing, but epoxy is forever! ;D

Dave


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## Rustkolector (Feb 13, 2013)

Many, many decades ago Zenith cast iron carburetors were factory painted with lacquer. It seemed to hold up well to gasoline. Shellac should also hold up well also since it is only soluble in alcohol.

Jeff


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## mwilkes (Feb 14, 2013)

I use 5 or 6 very thin coats of shellac (sanding sealer) applied with a cloth, sanding with 500 grit between the first 2 coats, then sending with 1000 grit for the remaining coats. Then I polish with beeswax. Silky smooth and not too shiny


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## jgedde (Mar 13, 2013)

Tung oil would be an excellent choice as would be a good oil based polyurethane.  Poly is about as tough as it gets before you start getting into two part coatings. 

A two part automotive urethane enamel is about a resistant a coating as they come but is likely overkill...  But, if you're looking for a dead smooth, very high gloss finish, that's the way to go.

Getting back to the Tung...  Tung oil, in my opinion, looks way nicer than poly!

The old adage for using tung oil is more or less a truism albeit a bit of an exagerration...  "Apply once an hour for a day.  Apply once a day for a week.  Apply once a month for a year.  Apply once a year for life."

John


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## ddmckee54 (Oct 24, 2013)

I know this is an old thread but just in case anybody's interested, and depending which side of the pond you're on, Summit Racing has a gloss clear engine paint.  Heat resistant to 500 degrees F and resistant to oils and gas, should be just the thing for future projects.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/shw-de1636/overview/

Don


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## John Rus (Nov 7, 2013)

I don't know how it stands up to repeated exposure to gasoline but Minwax Wipe On Poly is just as easy to apply as tung oil (you apply it with a rag) but it hardens and builds up with multiple coats.

Sand to the wood to 320 grit, apply two coats before you sand again with 320 as you will not have enough finish on the first coat, apply two more coats with sanding in between and the finish will be as smooth as you could wish!

It's just about fool proof for even the novice to apply, fast drying and is as durable as a regular polyurethane.

Hope this helps,
John.


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## Brian Rupnow (Nov 7, 2013)

Look up the thread I did on building the display box for my "Rupnow Engine" . I have found a formulae of over the counter stain and clearcoat product that seems impervious to gas, alcohol, lubricating oil, and varsol.--Brian


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