halkossman wrote:
For many years, have been using wipe-on poly as the finish, usually 4 to 6 coats and sanding with 0000 grit steel wool between coats. The finish has worked very well for me and is quite easy to apply. However lots of people seem to prefer the "Rude and Crude method". Now I am wondering just what I am missing? What is the benefit of "Rude and Crude" over wipe on poly or any other finish?
You're not missing anything. If you seal with shellac and use a soft long-oil wiping varnish you'll get the same thing. Your wipe-on is a thinned product rather than a long-oil type. You can use it in a two/three coat mode, and cut back any shine with 600 or pumice to give a good base for a wax, or build up to a film with depth if you want.
As to shellac or lacquer sealing versus oil - Apple, meet Orange. Their solvents are like water in the way they affect wood; the cellulose swells and bonds to the alcohol/ketones if it has time. Oil just fills the holes, it doesn't "stick." Even if you thin the daylights out of oil ("Danish") you can't get it as low in viscosity as alcohol. Only thing that keeps shellac near the surface is the rapid evaporation of the solvent.