Finishing Recipes

Any given topcoat has its place and I will use it. What my recipe includes is to NOT color the wood. Call me weird on that account.

-- Rock Chalk Jayhawk Go KU!!

I use my basic process on quartersawn white oak to get a antique’d mission type finish … multiple layers of finish add depth, shading and patina.

sand to 180 … dark oak alcohol aniline dye stain, wet sand in Japanese dryer jazzed up Minwax red mahogany oil stain and top with seedlac or buttonlac shellac followed by dark paste wax.

Try it on walnut, mahogany, sapele, elm or ash … it looks good with those woods too

-- keeping myself entertained

Jeff, my finishing routine is as follows:

Cherry: sand through grits to 180. I add a coat or two of BLO to tone it and then seal with a coat of 2 lb shellac. Topcoat with shellac, polyurethane, or tung oil.

For all other hardwoods I put on a seal coat of 2 lb shellac and follow up with topcoat of choice.

Pine and poplar I will sand to 150 grit and stain with an oil based stain. Seal with a 2 lb coat of shellac and topcoat with polyurethane.

Oak, sand to 150, stain with a light golden oak stain, 2 lb coat of shellac for a sealer and topcoat with shellac, polyurethane or tung oil.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

Depends on what I’m doing.

Cabinet and other wood work I’ll sand to 150 to 180, stain if needed depending on the wood, and usually spray a lacquer, depending on how it’s being sprayed (suction feed or gravity feed HVLP) I’ll thin it.

My turnings are sanded to 600 and finished with Mylands friction polish.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken

depends on so many different. factors. each finish is best for certain applications.

what is BLO?

-- Paul, Bristol,Rhode Island

HarleySoftailDeuce… BLO is boiled linseed oil…. keep very far away

Whats wrong with BLO?

If I am building a piece of furniture and want a nice depth and enhancing the figure of the grain I use witches brew. Witches brew is 1/3 blo or tung oil, 1/3 polyurethane and 1/3 mineral spirits. It soaks in good, adds the depth and provides protection.

Now if I am building kitchen/bath cabinets, usually the client wants something stained. So then I apply a coat of dye, then either stain, or use a toner to get to the final color. Then I apply 1 coat of sealer and three coats of wb lacquer.

I have found the switch to water based products for cabinets to be very successful. Took alittle learning, but now the system is easy to use.

Dave, thanks for the post. I will try that out on my next project
Cheers

I am a woodturner and I have found the best overall finish is 1 part tung oil, 1 part quick-drying polyurethane, 1 part turpentine. It’s easy to apply in a dusty environment. Cures quickly. Buffs out really nice.