Replies

1. 
   pzgren | Nov 20, 2006 11:39pm | #1

   Jeff,

     Can't say as I'd refer to myself as a "finishing guru", but here is something that has worked for me in both red oak and walnut: BLO and 4F pumice. I flooded the surface with BLO, sprinkled on a very generous tablespoon or so of 4F (per couple square feet of surface) and worked it into the pores with 320 sandpaper on a felt block. After letting it dry for 5 to 10 minutes (it may take longer in your area -- the RH here is usually only about 10% or so....), wiped off the excess across the grain and let it dry for a week or so. I followed with a couple of coats of 100% pure tung oil (about 24 to 48 hours between coats), and let that dry for about a week. Top coat was a tung oil/varnish mixture. Grain remains very visible; nice, smooth surface; and the BLO/pumice/saw dust mixture in the pores gives a sort of antique patina coloration to the wood.

     As with anything to do with finishing, I'd suggest that you try it on scrap to see whether you like it, before applying to your project.

     Hope this is of some use to you.

   Tschüß!

   Mit freundlichen holzbearbeitungischen Grüßen aus dem Land der Rio Grande!!

   James

1. 
   JeffHeath | Nov 20, 2006 11:48pm | #3

   Thanks, James

   I have used Blo and pumice before.  I was hoping to hear of an off the shelf product that didn't quite take as long.  I definately don't want to impede the beauty of the grain in these boards.  They're 20" wide, with awesome grain, and beautiful color.  I may end up sticking with pumice and blo if noone offers up another option that is quicker.

   Jeff

2. 
   jackplane | Nov 20, 2006 11:41pm | #2

   try Behlen's Pore-o-Pac paste filler, available thru catalog or on the web.

    

1. 
   JeffHeath | Nov 20, 2006 11:50pm | #4

   Jackplane

   Thanks.  Does the Behlens dry invisible, and will it stay that way when an oil finish is rubbed in?

   Jeff

1. 
   jackplane | Nov 20, 2006 11:54pm | #5

   It dries clear. Sometimes a whitish dust may appear upon sanding but can be brushed or blown off. 

3. 
   Rich14 | Nov 21, 2006 12:12am | #6

   Jeff,

   I don't think you should try to use a "clear" filler. Unstained fillers do look clear when you apply them, but eventually will turn white in the wood under the finish and will look bad.

   It is almost always necessary to tint a filler darker than the wood with which it is used, or the effect is not pleasing. I would use a dark "walnut" stain in the filler. Apply a sanding sealer to prevent the filler from staining the wood. Only the pores will be filled then with the filler. Apply a thick paste, then after the surface of the drying filler turns "leathery," wipe off every last bit from the surface of the wood.

   Why do you intend to use tung oil under the crystalac?

   Rich

1. 
   JeffHeath | Nov 21, 2006 05:06am | #7

   Rich

   With all of the furniture I build, I prefer a 'natural' finish.  I've enjoyed success with this combination of tung oil, followed with crystalac.  It's easy, and I won't spray any solvent based product in my shop.  I like the look, and so have my customers.

   Thanks for the tip about tinting the grain filler.  Should I fill the grain before or after the application of tung oil.  This will be the first time I've filled grain on walnut before, and want it to turn out right, as these door panels would not be duplicated if I screw up.  They're bookmatched, and are 20" wide single boards.

   I appreciate your help.

   Jeff

1. 
   Rich14 | Nov 21, 2006 05:32am | #8

   Jeff,My question about using tung oil under crystalac also pertains to your question about when to apply the tung oil - before or after the filler.Finishes are generally applied after filling. However, since you probably need to use a sanding sealer to prevent staining of the walnut by the tinted filler, the oil is not going to penetrate. You may be able to improve penetration by carefully sanding the surface after filling to break through the sealer.But the reason I was asking about the tung oil is that it really doesn't impart any color or grain development of the walnut, and its properties as a finish will be completely hidden under the lacquer. Linseed oil would give color and grain development to the walnut,Another technique to try is to avoid using filler at all. Apply the tung oil with 320 grit wet or dry abrasive. If you are using pure tung it will be somewhat too thick for this application - thin it with mineral spirits or naphtha. Work the surface with the tung oil and the 320 grit on a sanding block to develop a slurry of tung oil and wood particles. The abraded wood particles will fill the pores (the same color as the wood, of course). Then wipe the oil from the surface as usual, leaving the slurry in the pores. Be careful not to pull any out as you wipe the wood dry.The tung will polymerize in the pores with the slurry and some will "boil out" over the period of time it takes the tung to cure. It may take a while and more may appear above the pores every day for a while.After a few days, repeat the process with oil and 4-0 steel wool or 320 grit or 400 grit wet or dry. The hardened extruded filler mounds may be too hard for the steel wool. Just go over the polymerized, sealed surface, with oil as the lubricant and finish, taking down all the roughness of the raised pores. You should then have a perfectly level, pore-filled, oiled surface.You'll have to experiment to see if dark-filled pores or pores filled the same color as the surrounding wood is the effect you want. I prefer dark-filled pores.Rich

   Edited 11/20/2006 10:25 pm ET by Rich14

1. 
   dull tool | Nov 21, 2006 08:17am | #9

   Pores add character to the natural grain of black walnut. I prefer spar urethane cut fifty percent with solvent brushed on for the first coat and wiped across the grain. Allow to dry for 24 hours then sand thru 320 grit. Wipe with solvent and soft cloth then brush on the successive coats and again sand thru 320 grit. Finish with well buffed paste wax and enjoy the grain as mother nature intended it to be.

1. 
   Rich14 | Nov 21, 2006 04:01pm | #12

   dull tool, "Pores add character to the natural grain of black walnut." I agree. I like to finish walnut (and other open-grain woods) with very thin coats of shellac or lacquer, rubbed out to a semi gloss, mimicking an oiled look, leaving the pores open. Rich

2. 
   JeffHeath | Nov 21, 2006 03:37pm | #10

   Rich

   Thanks for the advice.  This weekend, I'm going to try the slurry method with Blo and tung oil on some scraps, and see which one I like better.  I've got until christmas, so plenty of time.  Thanks.

   Jeff

1. 
   Rich14 | Nov 21, 2006 03:58pm | #11

   Jeff, Good luck. Pore filling with the slurry method requires that the abraded wood "dust" in the slurry is fine enough to be forced into the pores. You may want to try finer grits than 320 if that's too coarse (depends on the pore size of your sample of wood). In the technique of french polishing, the pore filling is accomplished with pumice abrasion of the wood, and that's a very small grit size. A problem with pumice is that a lot of it actually winds up as filler material along with the ground wood fibers, and it can wind up looking white later.