StopLossBags – because Tins Suck

Pretty much all wood finishes come in standard tins, but there are lots of problems with tins, particularly for hobbyists.

Don’t get a good seal? Oxidisation can start to occur pretty quickly, then you get finish curing in the can, a hard layer or jelly can form pretty quickly once the solvent starts leaking. Lets hope you don’t have an expensive finish!

If you’re doing floors or you’re a professional/full time woodworker, these issues may not effect you. New flooring job? Just open a new tin, every time. Client is paying for it. For hobbyists, there are a few methods that seem to work, all around oxygen displacement. The two I’ve heard of are

Neither marbles or gas solve the issue of making the finish easier to get out of the tin though, nor waste from pouring down the sides.

For probably the last 6 months or so, I’ve been trying out StopLossBags as an alternative to tins.  This is not an ad, I’ve paid for everything myself. I bought them direct from StopLossBags as there is no longer an Australian supplier.

They solve the problem of oxygen displacement by letting you squeeze out most of (if not all of) the air before you screw on the cap. They also solve the problem of pouring out finish since it has a small nozzle.

via GIPHY

The transfer process from tin to bag was a little intimidating  the first time around, but went much smoother than I thought. The whole process took about a minute and a half for a 1L tin of hardwax oil.

So far the results are really promising – they’re easier to use than tins, and I haven’t had any lumps forming in the other bags I’ve been using. If I have issues down the track, I’ll be sure to report back.