Need tips about finishing Holly

[Bruce Cohen]

Hey Guys (and Gals),

I'm getting ready to build a jewelry box out of Holly with possibly Ebony details. I've read that Holly stains easily (never working with this wood), so I'll finish the Ebony parts separately.

As I always use an flat finish (4-5 coats of "natural" Watco, but this tends to darken most, if not all woods. What I would like to do is to keep the Holly as white as possible. And this where the question arises.

What can I use to finish the Holly while keeping it white and avoiding a gloss. As the piece is a smallish jewelry box, I really don't believe that protection is all that critical, not like the top of a dining table.

Any nifty hints, will be greatly appreciated.

The Holly I'm going to use is "clear" and furniture grade, whatever that really means. It's not "the construction grade most of us see.

Thanks in advance for your help, I just know one of you will have the correct answer.

Bruce

[cabinetman]

The Holly I've bought was white, but on the creamy color side. It had some small knots. If it wasn't kiln dried close to cutting it could develop a bluish tint stain. The only stay clear film finish I've used is a waterbase polyurethane, in a satin finish. If that dries too shiny, you could use a flattening agent. Or when dry use a very fine micromesh to reduce the sheen.

.

[JR]

Deft lacquer is very clear and sets up fast.

FWIW - I took a finishing class a few weeks ago. The guy said to ALWAYS use sanding sealer.

JR

[Bruce Cohen]

Mike and JR,

Knew I could count on you. The Holly is DEAD white (See Cook Woods.com). No knots or any other imperfections. It's kiln dried and looks really beautiful.
I wonder if any clear water-based urethane will work. BTW, thanks for the tip about Micromesh, sounds like just what the doctor ordered, for this and other projects.

JR, Thanks for the tip re: sanding sealer, never thought about that, never used it either. Will definitely give it a try, see what I've been missing all these years.

It's fast answers like this that makes it worthwhile when dealing with all the "Rules".

Bruce

[cabinetman]

Since you're doing a small box, I'm guessing that you are thinking of using a spray can. Since you don't likely have a full blown "booth", you'll need some good ventilation if you use lacquer. With ventilation you can have some airflow that could affect your spray. Lacquer finishes nice if it has a smooth base to lay on. Cars are sprayed with lacquer with only a 'primer" as a base because the bodywork has no 'pores'.

A sanding sealer is recommended with lacquer because it's easier to sand than a lacquer finish. It's not absolutely necessary. You could conceivably just thin your lacquer and add a retarder and use it as a sealer. But, if you're using a spray can that's out of the question. A lacquer called 'water white' is clear, if you can get it in a spray can. You could use a brushing lacquer as a last resort. I don't spray lacquer anymore because of health reasons.

With a waterbase polyurethane, most all are pretty much the same. I've used about a dozen different types, and don't see that much of a difference. You don't need a sanding sealer with WB poly. You might like it better than lacquer as it's not as toxic.

.

[worknhard]

I have a hard enough time finding pure white holly so when I do I try to apply a finish that preserves the beauty of the white wood. The best "clear" finish that I have used (that does not darken or create a yellowish tint to the Holly) is a water based polyacrylic product by General Finishes. I use the semi-gloss finish, apply it with a brush, then light sand and micromesh to get the desired sheen.

[guycox]

I've used the General Brand Urethane Oil on Box Elder and it has remained clear - without the blues of Polyacrylic...Delft works well too.