Tried and True

[Ken Johnson]

I just "discovered" this finish, which is call, "Tried and True", and it has a great deal of appeal to me.  It is a polymerized linseed oil with beeswax.

Environmentally safe, ease of use, easy clean up.

Does anyone here have any experience with it?

Have you ever used it with shellac, either under or on top of?

Any comments on durability, advantages, disadvantages, problems?

Thanks.

Ken

[Ken Johnson]

Updated post: Product is call Tried and True from Tried and True Wood Finishing products.

Thanks.

Ken

[Ron]

This product seems to cause a bit of a conflict as there are those who claim it never dries. The instructions require VERY thin coats be applied and I have followed those instructions and have good success with the product (not the beeswax containing version). It also doesn’t seem to harden very quickly once the can is opened.

Like any finish its good to try it on a scrap piece of the wood you are going to use it on to see if the look is what you want. It’s nice to use a product which doesn’t require a ton of masks, gloves and other safely equipment.

The times I have used it I liked it.

[Rick Yochim]

Ken,

I've used it (the beesawx containing Tried & True Original Wood Finish) on some boxwood tool handles. I have to say that for the price I paid for it it was/is a little disapppinting. They are right when the say put it down in very thin coats. It did take a while to dry in my marginally heated shop but several coats and a lot of rubbing out did give me the finish I was looking for.

So why the disappointment? For me it's not the quality of the product so much as its value for the price. As it's an oil/wax finish, it is by nature thin and will need to be restored at some point. Of course that's easily done with this or any oil/wax finish so if that is what you're after then go for it. But you can accomplish this same finish for much less expense with a BLO or tung oil and paste wax rub out. And as my shop routinely drops below 70 degrees in the winter (have to fix that), I don't worry about my waxes and penetrating oils. Tried and True advises us not to store this stuff below that temperature so it is kept inside with the latex house paints. A bit of hassle factor there.

Finally, they intend this product to be a final finish. So, applying it as a sealer under shellac or lacquer may be a bit risky as it is a blend of ingredieants. I haven't tried it for that but if someone else has I'd be curious to read what they have to say.     

So will I use up the rest of mine? Yes. Will I buy more? No.

Hope this has helped in some way.

Rick Yochim