# Easy finish suggestions for Curly maple and african Mahog chess board



## Mcnervy (Nov 25, 2009)

I am an overtooled newbie (god that word sounds week) and i need some help.
I am building a chess board
I have Curly maple and african mahoghany squares 








I plan a bloodwood and zebra wood mitered boarder
I would like sugestions on a good quality finish that is relitivly easy
Current plan
sand up to 220
Apply pure tung oil
wait 20-30 minutes remove
repeate for total of 3 coats
Let dry
Wipe on poly 3 coats
Please Correct my plan or suggest a better one 
Thanks


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Hey Mcnervy: Your solituion sounds fine, and you can do what you want to, but this is my recepie( This is ONLY me). I'd take 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 boiled linseed oil, 1/3 poly, and 1/3 mineral spirits, mix it all together in a mason jar, stir it real good, and put it on the chess board, either with a brush on wipe-on. Let dry good, buff it with 0000 steel wool, put on another coat, repeat the process until you get about 3-4 coats on. Let it dry good, and polish it with a paste wax like Johnsons, or a carnuba wax. That way you can eliminate the 3-4 coats of tung and 3-4 coats of poly. A one-step process with this formula, and your down-time is reduced. hope this helps.


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## Mcnervy (Nov 25, 2009)

Rick
I think you have 4 thirds you mean 1/4 part each right?


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## Mcnervy (Nov 25, 2009)

CPB What thinning agent would you recomend
I have some behr wiping poly i could use


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## BeeJay (Sep 3, 2009)

Mate, that is a really nice mix of wood and grain. For the love of wood, lets forget the shortcuts.

I recommend 3 coats of tung oil, 2 coats of danish and polish off with brown wax.


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## Mcnervy (Nov 25, 2009)

BeeJay
I am not familar with danish oil
Does it protect?
What should final sanding grit be? I am thinking 220
Thanks
Bennett


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Any of the suggestions given above will work fine. But the first thing you have to know is what you want the final result to look like. Then you can decide the best way to get there.

The first and most important questions I ask myself on every project: Glossy or not? Do you want the texture of the wood to remain to the extent that you can feel it with your fingers, or do you want a smooth-as-glass surface?

My suggestion would vary a lot depending on the answers to those questions.


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Hey Mcnewrvy: Sorry about the wrong parts> I WAS thinking 1/4 parts when I was typing, but kept hitting the 3!!! lol lol. I'd had too much grub, I guess, and was ready for a nap-latharligc!!! By the way-really nice chess board you made. But one more thing you could do once it's made: with your great wood choices, you could just use straight mineral oil, just like on a cutting board. Apply, let soak in, wipe, dry. Repeat a couple of times. Just my nickel!!!!

CPB: You don't have to use the tung oil if you don't want to. I just use it as a nother ingredient with the poly and mineral spirits. I use the BLO more as a drying agent, and speeds it along. I'm competely out of Japan dryer, so that's why I use it. Some do-some don't. Competely up to you.


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## Mcnervy (Nov 25, 2009)

i attached the boarder today








I failed with the zebra wood it sprang shut on the blade so hard that the blade stopped and blew the circuit breaker.
I think the blood wood looks sharp though


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## chuck66 (Aug 21, 2009)

I'm also a newbie, so take this with a grain of salt, but I recently discovered Waterlox. The stuff is awsome.


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## BeeJay (Sep 3, 2009)

Bloodwood looks fine and will come up very nice when finished. Danish (Scandanavian Oil) oil is similar to the mixes some people still make themselves. It contains Tung Oil and several other oils and a small amount of lacquer. It penetrates quite deep and sets hard on the surface.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

One coat Seal Coat and two of waterlox.


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## Mcnervy (Nov 25, 2009)

!http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/af269/mcnervy/miter.jpg1
AND








now i really dont want to ruin it


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## BeeJay (Sep 3, 2009)

Nice

I like lots.

Nice cutting too.


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