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I have completed a mahogany wet bar and plan to use minwax mahogany gel stain with minwax helmsman spar varish on the top. I used Honduran veneer ply for the top and would like to achieve a smooth surface finish with the grain appearing very dark and contrasting with the stain. The mahogany stain pretty much achieves the look I want, but I am a rookie as far as filling grain and topcoating to achieve a nice smooth surface.
What process would you all suggest for filling the grain ? Is it neccessary ? Would sanding sealer work ? I have been considering testing the Master Pore-o-pac (med brown walnut) from Woodworkers Supply catalog and thining to a brushable consistency.
I plan on using tung oil or Watco Oil, wipe-on-poly, and a coat of wax for the front face. Can’t wait to christen this beauty so any help would be much appreciated. Out of curiosity, would wet sanding a danish oil fill the grain ??
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Brian,
I don't think that a filler would be necessary, in your case. Finish sand with 320 grit and use a card scraper. Since you are going to be using Minwax Helmsman, which is a spar urethane, you will want sand between the coats using 400 grit silicon, dry. The number of coats will determine the depth. I also would recommend that you use 600 grit silicon, lubricated, on the second to last coat.
Since you also state that you are using a wipe on poly for the face, waxing is not necessary, IMO. FWIW.
Dano
*how use card scraper ??lubricate 600 gr with what ??
*Brian,There have been numerous postings here pertaining to the use and setting the hook on card scrapers, suggest you do a search. They are readily available either in hardware and stores such as (ugh) Home Depot or through mail order.I lubricate silicon carbide (wet/dry) sanding paper with water.Dano
*I think you would get the results you are after, by using very dark brown or black grain filler. I have used only oil-based fillers. I use the grain filler from constantines. I thin this with naphtha or mineral spirits. The naphtha will accelerate the set time, so you may want to use mineral spirits until you get the hang of it. Start by applying a sealer coat, I use dewaxed shellac for this, but I don’t know how that would work with spar varnish, so you may want to use a thinned coat of it as a sealer. Make sure this sealer coat is very thin, otherwise you will fill the pores slightly with finish and make it difficult for the filler to adhere. Just brush the thinned down mixture (it should be like heavy latex paint) on and let it set until the filler starts to look dry (i.e. a flat sheen). Then scrape of the excess by going diagonally to the grain, I use a credit card, or one of those cheap plastic putty knives, just make sure the edge is smooth so you don’t scratch your finish. Then rub across the grain with burlap to remove all the of the filler. Finish up by going with the grain using cheesecloth, and light pressure. I apply another coat after letting this first one dry a full day. When dry, sand very lightly with 320- grit paper backed with a cushioned block. Oil based filler will require at least 72 hours drying time before top coating. This is a messy, time consuming process, but the results are certainly worth the effort.
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