I this is my first “non-poly” project. It is also my first project with black walnut. Since it is a shaker wall clock. I assumed an “in the wood” finish would be the way to go. After applying a coat of Watco natural Danish oil finish, the result looked darker with good grain contrast but still “lifeless”. I then created a “homemade” mixture of 1 part Minwax Cherry stain, 1 Part Minwax “dark walnut” stain and 1 part Watco. I sanded this in with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper since I did not like the open pores and hoped this would help. 12 Hours later the surface appears better color wise but still not quite what I want. In addition the surface is a bit gummy (old stain?) and the grain is a little muddier (perhaps from the pigments in the stains?). It turns out I used the wrong can of cherry stain. I had 2. A new one and one that had been sitting around for a few years.
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The new one is still sitting on the shelf.
I am an idiot.
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My questions are:
- Will the finish dry out on its own?
- If not, can it be fixed?
- If the gumminess can be fixed can I apply some shellac? I know I am switching to a film surface but don’t like the way the “in the wood” turned out on the clock as a whole.. In the future I will need to make bigger test “samples”.
- Can the gloss factor on the shellac knocked down to a satin?
Help….
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Replies
It may well not dry. All of the "in-the-wood" finishes must be applied, let penetrate for several minutes, and then vigorously wiped off of the surface. It sounds like you didn't really get your second concoction wiped off very thoroughly. Even if all the ingredients were fresh, it can't be left on the surface since as a film it will be very soft. This sanding in and oil/varnish mix finish to fill pores is a very limited utility just the necessary wiping off of excess pulles the material out of the pores. Filling pores is a job for film finishes, not oil/varnish slurry, in my opinion.
But just about anything can be fixed. Fortunately 12 hours isn't very long, so you may be able to remove surface gunk with naptha or mineral spirits. Try that first.
You can strip off the gummy stuff with paint stripper, allowing you to essentially start over back at the beginning.
Shellac makes a good finish, and if you don't stain the wood can be used to fill pores by applying coats and then sanding them to the cut through point repeatedly until the sunken shiny spots dissapear. This will take a while since 2 or 3 coats isn't likely to get the job done. With full pores, it can then be rubbed to any gloss level you desire. If you don't get the pores filled it is harder since the recesses of unfilled pores will want to stay shiny as the surface rubs to satin.
The other way to get a fully filled finish is to use tinted pore filler. It can be applied directly to bare wood where it will also as a pigmented stain, but the better plan is to first lightly seal the wood, perhaps over a dye if you want to change the overall color. The the pore filler is applied and when it starts to set up it is wiped off across the grain so the wiping process doesn't pull it out of the pores. Then when it has well cured--several days or a week, a film finish can be applied over it.
you've too much oil on the wood surface- chances are it won't dry. wipe it down with painthinner or naptha, let dry and apply shellac. shellac is a great sealer and can be used a finish coat, esp. for a clock, buffing down to satin or polishing up for a higher gloss.
Expert since 10 am.
Rob,
The only thing that I would add to the info you have already received is that with a wall clock filling the pores (especially for a satin finish) would likely be an exercise in uneccasary frustration. Fiiled pore finishes are generally used on horizontal surfaces that will have a high gloss finish.
If I was doing this project I would just use a satin varnish (not poly, not minwax) and call it a day. You can also use shellac and rub it out with 0000 steel wool after it has cured for a few days and I don't think you will notice the extra gloss in the pores. In fact I just did this to a table top that has walnut in it and it turned out really nice.
Rob
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