# strip/refinish rosewood knobs and totes



## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

How is best to go through this, have 2 sets that have some unsightly paint splotches. I want to clean them up and make them pretty again. Final finish would be? BLO/wax? Or should I poly/varnish/ laquer?


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## Loco (Aug 11, 2013)

What kind of rosewood ?


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

Whatever kind Stanley used on their prewar planes


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

Rosewood is oily enough to not need a finish. You can sand to a high grit and wax. Adding BLO or Danish oil or whatever will darken the wood, which may obscure the grain. I've done it, and on some totes/knobs it looks good, but others the distinctive grain would be practically invisible.

I've also used shellac on some knobs and totes. It enhances the grain nicely, but I find I don't really like the feel of a hard finish all that much.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

If you BLO Rosewood you will disperse the oils and muddle the details. Sand the Rosewood, and then finish with a clear lacquer like "Deft". This will help keep the details without the above. IMO…


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## BigRedKnothead (Dec 21, 2012)

A drill press helps a lot sanding the knobs. ROS or any way you can with the totes. Like HM, I prefer aerosol shellac or lacquer. BLO darkens the rosewood too much for me. 
My latest fav has been watco satin lacquer in an aerosol can. Then buffed out with paste wax and steel wool.


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

I like to use a drill on the knobs. They go quickly. Just hand sand the totes. Sanding the rosewood versions is a walk in the park vs the beech ones. Then I just use wax.


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## Loco (Aug 11, 2013)

Probably Hymenaea courbaril. The cronies of united Fruit raped mountains of it back then. Take it to 400 and get a hardwood floor finish or Brownells Tru-oil..


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

On rosewood I usually just wax them. But I use spray shellac from time to time as well.

I sand the tote to 800. The knob I put in the drill press and also gets sanded to 800.

if the tote is real bad I sometime.scrape it with a card scraper and knife blade to start.


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## Tugboater78 (May 26, 2012)

Thanks everyone, I took one tote down with a razor blade and some sandpaper. The grain was awsome so I don't want to obscure it, I will throw some wax on it and call it good.

My Wards Master #6 has stained hardwood with some hard slick finish that I don't care for, while the Walnut on one of my #5s I finished with BLO/wax is right on spot. Skip the BLO and just wax

I'll chuck the knobs up in the press and sand em down and see what I get. Take down the other tote like I did the other one. Hopefully will get these done and finish the other work I have on the planes they belong to and see what I have.


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