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I've got a project almost assembled and wondering about the finish. I did a test on a scrap piece with some lacquer and some Danish oil. The lacquer was too "blah." Boring. The oil really brought out color and grain but was splotchy in some areas (it's quartersawn, so the grain variation is huge). I was considering something like a 50/50 Danish oil and poly, thinking the poly would stop some but not all of the penetration? Any other ideas? I've never finished Bubinga before, and I tend to use lacquer on most of my projects. Have not used any mixes, shellac, or varnish before.
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I always seal with Shellac before going to lacquer, recently I did some walnut burl, and lacquer/shellac alone wasn't cutting it, so I did BLO, then shellac, then top coat with lacquer, looks great.
I've done bubinga with arm-r-seal, and it looks great, so I'm wondering if something like a seal-a-cell coat, then shellac, then lacquer wouldn't work for ya, I'd try it on a test piece. BLO could work too, but the seal-a-cell has a bit of urethane in it as well, seems to take more evenly.Keith Z. Leonard
Go Steelers! -
Most of the bubinga I've worked with has been on pens, so maybe cyanoacrylate glue, and then the triple buffing wheel...
Seriously though, I have done a few larger things, and as Keith has suggested, the BLO, shellac, lacquer method worked very well for me. I tried to go poly on the first piece, but I think there's something in the bubinga that corrupts the cure, so I sanded it down (ugh! sloppy) and refinished as above.Comment
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Wouldn't pre-sealing with shellac make it even more dull? I want to darken and add contrast, just not as much as the Danish oil adds (specifically the splotchy parts). The lacquer added shine but almost no color at all. I know very little about shellac, but my impression is that it prevents anything else from soaking into the wood and adding color.Comment
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Uh...pre-sealing? Didn't say that. Step by step would be this...
1. Sand
2. BLO
3. cure for several days (oil takes forever)
4. shellac
5. lacquer
Of course, you could also just tint your shellac to get the color you want, by adding transtint to it, for instance, but I find the oil is typically doing what I want.Keith Z. Leonard
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Not sure what the exact recipe is with the arm r seal and seal a cell other than it is a n oil/poly mix but I have had a lot of luck with the Sam Maloof Poly/Oil & Oil Wax finishes from Rockler.
The poly/oil is a mix of BLO, Tung Oil and Poly. It goes on really easily and gives a very silky finish. You can then add a topcoat or 2 of the Oil/wax which is BLO, Tung Oil and Carnuba.
I have never tried it on bubinga but it has never failed to give a great finish to everything else I have used it on.Jon
Phoenix AZ - It's a dry heat
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We all make mistakes and I should know I've made enough of them
techzibits.comComment
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I did this project last month. It was my first try at bubinga. I used a couple/few coats of spray shellac, topped with satin poly. The first view is shallac only, the second one (unfortunately with top open) has the poly. I used this technique in the hopes that the shellac would create a "build" that would appear to have some depth. I didn't want a glossy finish, though.
The shellac provided plenty of "pop" to my eye. It was bright and the color really came through. It was a pretty shiny finish. The poly went on without trouble, but was still a little bright for my taste. It had to go out the door, so I put some wax on it and called it good.
JR
Last edited by JR; 01-20-2009, 12:36 AM.JRComment
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Ok, I misunderstood. Educate me on oils...wouldn't BLO have the same effect on the wood as Danish, or are they really that different?Uh...pre-sealing? Didn't say that. Step by step would be this...
Sounds like I need to get some shellac and test a piece.Comment
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Carlos, Danish oil is a polymerized linseed oil, BLO is "boiled" linseed oil. In the end I believe it's mostly about cure time. BLO should cure quicker than danish oil.
Note that there are 2 important "times" for finishes, the recoat time and the cure time. Recoat is the time it takes for the solvents to flash enough to allow application of another layer, and for some finishes this is a window, not just a time, wait too long and it won't work well.
Cure time is the time it takes for "all" of the solvents to flash off. Typically if I am applying dissimilar materials I want "most" of the solvents to flash off before I'll progress, that's why I give oil several days before I apply shellac. The shellac that I'm using is water based from target coatings, then I top coat with USL (an acrylic resin that has many lacquer properties).Keith Z. Leonard
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The danish oil...Watco?...looks blotchy because it has penetrated inconsistently.
If you do 3 or 4 applications, a day apart, it will eventually build to an even sheen, but won't look as if it has a plastic coating on it.
Depending on what this project is, you may need a more durable coating. You can apply oil based polyurethane over it after you let the Watco cure. I think General Finishes Satin Gel Finish...a wiping varnish, looks great.
You can skip the Watco with either of those and they will give the color of Watco, but with a heavier surface buildup...which may or may not be desirableComment
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It's just a printer stand/cabinet, so I don't expect abuse or spills. I think the oil would be good for this, if the look can be improved. I didn't know the splotchiness might be temporary, I'll have to keep working on my test piece.Depending on what this project is, you may need a more durable coating.
As with everything else in woodworking, it seems that finishes are highly complex and varied.Comment
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I am sure this is a bit late for your finish, but I did a nameplate/pen holder out of bubinga for our anniversary in November. I just used a few coats of poly due to the low abuse it expects. You can see pictures at http://ronelson.dynip.com/wiki/index.php/ProjectsComment
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I got a great answer from a local wood store, and forgot to post a follow up. He recommended sanding to 1000 grit. I actually sanded to 600 and got exactly what I wanted. Leaving the wood at 220 or even 400 would allow it to soak up too much oil. Going to 600 closed the pores and made the oil much more even.Comment
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