Having made a few things now with the simplest of finishes, just mineral oil, and buffing, I thought it was time to play a little with some other types.

I had just made a simple vase for my wife out of a block of wood I had sitting in the garage. I think it’s just a 4×4 chunk of pine, but since it’s been sitting out there for a lot longer than I’ve been thinking about woodturning, I really have no idea. But that’s not the point here…

Having turned a lovely vase (I thought it was lovely) with mid-century modern style lines I wanted to try and make it functional. Of course, I didn’t really think it out and didn’t make the inside for holding a glass or plastic insert. So I went out to the hardware store to find something that would seal the wood so that it could theoretically hold water.

Varathane’s spar urethane was recommended to me, and I figured that I really had nothing to lose but the time it took to try. The outside has one coat, to give a small bit of protection but still be somewhat raw looking. The inside though I coated several times to be sure to seal it (I tend to over-engineer things sometimes). Since it was the inside I wasn’t worried about dripping or odd colorations, but I didn’t have to worry as all the coats dried wonderfully clear.

In the end, the spar urethane did work. The vase held water for a day without swelling or otherwise appearing to be waterlogged. Still, I think this will be better as an art object or a holder for silk flowers from time to time as opposed to something for live flowers.

Of course, I now have a big can just sitting around, but I’ve also recently acquired some more wood that will really be worth experimenting with, so I know it will be put to good use in due time.