Minwax Wood Hardener for Soft Wood?

Would using a product like Minwax Wood Hardener (http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/maintenance-repair/minwax-high-performance-wood-hardener) prevent some of the scratches and dents in a soft wood like pine or alder? I don't think this would work well if you planned to stain or dye the wood, but maybe for a clear or solid color finish?

I am considering refinishing a strat I built with some fairly soft alder a couple years ago and don't want the new finish to dent as easily as the current finish.

It's $10 and change at big orange box store... try it on scrap first and see how it goes

Yeah thats the best way to see if it works. I was just wondering if anyone can recommend it.

I have limited finishing experience, but I Would say no... I also would avoid minwax finishing products... IMO thy are more suited for staining your deck and not so much guitars or furniture etc... If you want a hard, durable finish, maybe just spray poly.

I have limited finishing experience, but I Would say no... I also would avoid minwax finishing products... IMO thy are more suited for staining your deck and not so much guitars or furniture etc... If you want a hard, durable finish, maybe just spray poly.

That's a broad brush you paint over Minwax products and I 'm guessing not backed up with experience.

Minwax spray (nitro) lacquer is very good and used by many here. If you are looking for a good wipe -on polyurethaneMinwax is very good and Finewoodworking agrees. Polycrylic is used sucessfully by some as agrainfiller. I like it for applications like trim in my wine cellarwhen I didn't want the solvent fumes. Their stains aren't bad though I can't always find the colors I want.

My understanding of Minwax wood hardener is that it is primarily used for rotting or punky wood but I have never used it.

That's a broad brush you paint over Minwax products and I 'm guessing not backed up with experience.

Minwax spray (nitro) lacquer is very good and used by many here. If you are looking for a good wipe -on polyurethaneMinwax is very good and Finewoodworking agrees. Polycrylic is used sucessfully by some as agrainfiller. I like it for applications like trim in my wine cellarwhen I didn't want the solvent fumes. Their stains aren't bad though I can't always find the colors I want.

My understanding of Minwax wood hardener is that it is primarily used for rotting or punky wood but I have never used it.



I recently finished my first partscaster with Minwax Wipe On Poly, with great results. Very user friendly.

I used the wood hardener on some spalted maple, and it never really hardened up. I doubt it would really do what you are wanting it to do, especially with the amount of surface area you are looking to treat (I was only doing a few strips in a body, and still used half the can and never got it where I wanted it).

MinWax Lacquer (rattlecan) and MinWax Tung Oil are two products that I use a lot , and both are good IMO

I'm minwax fan myself. I really like the aerosol lacquer.

The websites does say the hardener is for decaying wood. Looks like I've got some testing to do. Thanks everyone for your responses.

Would using a product like Minwax Wood Hardener (http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/maintenance-repair/minwax-high-performance-wood-hardener) prevent some of the scratches and dents in a soft wood like pine or alder?

I'm minwax fan myself. I really like the aerosol laqcuer.

The websites does say the hardener is for decaying wood. Looks like I've got some testing to do. Thanks everyone for your responses.

You aren't the first to ask these questions and I have been wondering myself. A test would be a great idea. Maybe drop some wights from a fixed height on the treated and non treated samples and see if it dents.

Please post the results!

BTW, I have heard that the fumes from this stuff is pretty bad. Be sure to do it outside.

Hey johnnyboy99... I've been using MinWax products for years on guitars and think they are great. :wink:

I haven't heard of this "hardener" product, but if I can get my mitts on some I would definitely give it a try on some softer woods to see how well it works.

Some good info
http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=32292

Sounds like it might be a good thing to use when finishing spalted maple caps.

That stuff is intended to shore up heavily punked/rotting wood. At best it buys you time and maybe allows you to patch fill and then paint over the defect, as opposed to having to pull and replace the board.

On intact wood you will probably not get any significant degree of penetration so any effects will be restricted to the very surface, meaning it will be as prone to scratch/dent as any other finish option.

That stuff is intended to shore up heavily punked/rotting wood. At best it buys you time and maybe allows you to patch fill and then paint over the defect, as opposed to having to pull and replace the board.

On intact wood you will probably not get any significant degree of penetration so any effects will be restricted to the very surface, meaning it will be as prone to scratch/dent as any other finish option.

I have used the stuff as recommended, on some crap millwork used on my home exterior that had begun to get punky and deteriorate. It works fine for that, but I think unless you build a guitar out of dry balsa wood, it wouldn't, as Keyser Soze notes, penetrate into healthy wood with intact cell structure.

But it might be worth a try. Especially if you're not going to apply a stain and don't need for the wood to absorb any finish.

Minwax wood hardener ONLY WORKS ON SOFT DECAYING WOOD. It will not make softwood into a hardwood.

I like minwax stuff as well.. I use their Tung Oil on all of the unfinished necks that I use. Great stuff.

And I would strongly recommend not putting that hardener stuff on good wood. Alder should be fine if you use a poly finish. Or just live with the scratches.

I have an extremely soft bass body and after one gig, the buckle rash wore through the lacquer finish and gouged the crap outta the wood. I still use it like it is though :D

Looking at the MSDS, I would venture that the product is a Plasticizer... On wood that has structure to it, it will basically sit on top with minor penetration....

So this might not be the magic potion to turn soft wood into hard wood. I will still probably test this out myself, hopefully this weekend. Someone mentioned dropping weights on the wood from a fixed height; that sounds like a good idea, I think I will try that.

My luthier buddy gives his acoustics a good slobber of hot hide glue as a first treatment once all the sanding is done. It has a remarkable effect on the wood , immediately tightening things up. It does go into the cell structure of the wood especially if you pre heat the wood. That gives the glue a longer time as liquid and it penetrates further.

As an alternative try using thin grade CA and just swipe it on with a foam applicator. Remember it gets hot as it cures and it smells a bit naughty also so plenty of ventilation.

Several here have used it as a sanding sealer and as a pre finish with excellent results.

See Flatfive 2012 challenge build.

I didn't mean to offend any minwax enthusiasts... I guess when I hear minwax, I think the display of poly stain at the home depot - which I have used and experimented with a fair amount for someone who is not a finisher. I don't care for these products for a lot of reasons and would not use them on a guitar... but that's just my opinion. I have never used their lacquer or other products so I guess I was using a rather broad brush to describe minwax... Here is my thought process as it applies to the original question... This guy want to add something to a soft wood that makes it harder > I would call that a finish > If you want a hard finish, use poly > And I personally wouldn't recommend the minwax, wipe on poly... That's all I was trying to say. Not claiming to be an expert, but I have a little bit of experience to share...