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A little cherry wood side table my wife saw in a Pottery Barn catalog. When I went to the hardwood store I had asked about controlling the blotching of cherry. They directed me to use a Minwax sealer. The only problem I had was THE SEALER WAS BLOTCHING THE WOOD!!! I was about ready to take the plunge and hope for the best when I saw Charles Neil's Blotch Control. WOW! What a difference it made. I am sooooo glad I saw that video on YouTube. Ordered two cans. The only thing I could say on the con side is it doesn't penetrate the wood like the oil Minwax does. If you sand too much in order to get rid of the raised grain you create areas of bare wood. The way around it that I found was to pre-raise the grain prior to adding his blotch control. This definitely cut down on the post-sanding procedure. Second, (if you bothered to read all the way down to this part) I added a Greene and Greene flare, because face it folks we are artists at heart and can't help but make it a little more beautiful.

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wonderful table Kevin love the finish and the build.
 

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Turned out nice, and learned a new technique to boot. I've seen some of Charles Neil's stuff; he's practical and knowledgeable.
 

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Beautiful table, I love the color and finish looks great.
 

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I believe the grain raised here because Minwax is oil based (as you listed), and the Charles Neil Blotch Control is water based.

Great little table, by the way. I'm sure your wife is pleased.

What was the final finish regimen after the blotch control?
 

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I used General Finish mahogany dye with two coats. Then I used General Finish High Gloss Poly and then took a #0000 steel wool to it to buff out the shine because it's a side table after all, and it will show cup marks and finger prints if i didn't. And why you may ask did I get a high gloss only to buff it out. Well, for two reasons. One is practical and the other taste. I had the high gloss on hand and the latter is that I like to control the amount of sheen. Thanx for commenting. This was my first "real" attempt at furniture making. (Wood shop stands and cabinets don't count)
 
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