'dorff board refinishing

[John Kasaian]

I've been reworking a 6"x6" 'dorff lensboard and I've forgotten how much fun it can be to see one of these things "come to life" after a bit of tlc.
Anyway after the repairs were made the finish was looking a bit worried so I gently sanded it down to bare wood, finishing with #600 wet and dry when it occurred to me I didn't have any lacquer or varnish handy but I did have tung oil left over from another project. So far I've got the first coat on and after I find the steel wool (where does this stuff hide?) and buff it I'll continue with a 2nd and 3rd coat and top it off with Butcher's Wax.
It just occurred to me that there are many here far more accomplished at woodworking than I, so I wanted to ask what finished they prefer to use on wooden lensboards?
I have used spar varnish in the past but tung oil now seems much more pleasant to work with. If the repairs leave the board scarred with epoxy or if it is a generic plywood I'll paint it a satin black and leave it at that but some of the boards I've restored have such beautiful grain---especially the 'dorffs---it seems criminal to cover it up. I know many people might recommend Varathane or other synthetic finishes.
So.
What finishes do you use on lensboards and why?

[Kevin Crisp]

I've used the spray can lacquer for restoring DD boards. It is hard (or at least time consuming) to get it glossy like the factory but it makes a very nice finish with a good color match. I have also used varnish (either Interlux, which is pricey but really nice stuff) or the water clean up Varathane marine finish which allows you to re-coat after an hour or two versus waiting a day or more for the Interlux. If the boards are a bit too glossy when you get done after 5 coats or whatever, you can tone it down with 0000 sandpaper to taste.

[Kevin Crisp]

And I should add as the owner of a pre-1950 new old stock DD that an untouched original finish is a lot glossier and more varnish-like then you might think from handling a camera that has been used for some time.

[BarryS]

John-- Which tung oil are you using? I've found that there are a lot of products that call themselves tung oil or tung oil finish and they contain little to no actual tung oil. I bought some Formby's Tung Oil Finish for some new dorff boards I'm making and it turns out to be a mix of oils and varnish. It looks pretty good after three coats and it probably protects the wood better than pure tung oil, but it's another product entirely.

[John Kasaian]

John-- Which tung oil are you using? I've found that there are a lot of products that call themselves tung oil or tung oil finish and they contain little to no actual tung oil. I bought some Formby's Tung Oil Finish for some new dorff boards I'm making and it turns out to be a mix of oils and varnish. It looks pretty good after three coats and it probably protects the wood better than pure tung oil, but it's another product entirely.

Good grief! It's Formby's!
It still looks good, very good, but I dislike dishonest advertising

[seawolf66]

If you want a finish that is the cats Meow , then you best learn about "French Polishing" Have fun guys:

[E. von Hoegh]

Jack Deardorff told me that they used lacquer on the cameras.

When I restored mine, that is what I used. Many coats, rubbing between coats. So I have a V8 that looks like it was finished by Stradivari.(Except for the dings it has picked up since the 1980s)

French polish is VERY nice, but only a nutcase like me would use it for a lensboard or three. The toe of the learning curve is rather long....

For some strange reason, I do not own a single Deardorff-made board. I made my own out of rabbeted plywood, and painted them various colors using alkyd enamel. Black Hunter green. Yellow. Orange.

[Ralph Barker]

Personally, I think you should take your 'Dorff lens boards to the next level, John. How about nice inlay along the edges, or rosettes around the shutter, or perhaps some mother of pearl accents?

[Jim Galli]

Jack Deardorff told me that they used lacquer on the cameras.

When I restored mine, that is what I used. Many coats, rubbing between coats. So I have a V8 that looks like it was finished by Stradivari.(Except for the dings it has picked up since the 1980s)

French polish is VERY nice, but only a nutcase like me would use it for a lensboard or three. The toe of the learning curve is rather long....

For some strange reason, I do not own a single Deardorff-made board. I made my own out of rabbeted plywood, and painted them various colors using alkyd enamel. Black Hunter green. Yellow. Orange.

I'm picturing this restored Deardorff with a finish like a Steinway Grand Piano but it has pea green lens boards made out of plywood???

[Kevin Crisp]

The little inlays like they have on the back of a rosewood Martin D guitar would look nice around the edges. Maybe could could spell out "top" so you know at a glance which orientation is should have. Then lacquer.