Help with finnish

[mzombek]

Guys,
I have made 4 longbows and used Thunderbird finish. What a chore. To me, the Thunderbird is really hard for me to use. When I apply, I end up sanding most of the finish off and redoing. After 5 to 6 coats, I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I was looking to try true oil on my next and would like advise on which way to go on finishes, true oil, fullerplast or anything else out there that would look good and easier to use than thunderbird.
Thanks for your help

[milehi101]

Any finish is only going to be as good as the time you put into it. Their are pin holes in the glass and the wood has to be filled for you get to get a great finish.  This requires several coats with fine sanding between coats whether it is Thunderbird or a poly varnish or true oil.  They all require several coats and drying time in between.  True oil will do a good job but it will take lots of coats and 24 hours between them to fill voids in the wood. When done it is easy to touch up however.  I use it on some knives and I have used as many as 20+ coats to get the results I want.

[Roy from Pa]

Try a conversion varnish. Some are dry to sand in 15 minutes. They are a two part finish that needs mixed, same as TB. Do a search for conversion varnish on you tube.

[Trux Turning]

I use Krystal dull- it's a two part conversion varnish. I really like the way it finishes and how easy it is to use.