Replies

1. 
   Westchester | Aug 14, 2007 09:09pm | #1

   The secret is sanding well between coats - whatever finish you choose.

    

   SA

2. 
   mbholden | Aug 15, 2007 01:04am | #2

   If its an "heirloom" finish you want, then shellac is your finish. Apply and wait a hundred years. Seriously.

   Otherwise, you could try lime or lye to make a chemical change in the wood's color.

   Dyes and pigments and asphaltum (tar dissolved in mineral spirits) are also on many of the finishing schedules for the dark brown-black finish of antiques.

   Best advice is to take a board and make sample finish board by marking it into sections (I take a shallow sawcut) and trying a variety of things, dyes, asphaltum, etc. Let it dry and take out into where the piece will live and decide what you like.

   Different logs of the same type of wood will finish slightly differently, which is why it is so hard to recommend a specific finishing schedule.

   I find that making the finish board an enjoyable exercise, and almost always choose something that I would not have used otherwise.

   Here are three sample boards I have made up, two are mahogany, one is cherry; both sides have a variety of finishes.

   Mike

   
1. 
   NUTTY | Aug 16, 2007 01:25am | #4

   Mike, thanks for the input. Now that it's pointed out, using a sample finish board seems obvious. That's a great idea and one I'll invest the time into. And as long as I record the process, it's good indefinitely. That's what I call sweet!

3. 
   SteveSchoene | Aug 15, 2007 05:26pm | #3

   Mike is right about making samples.  It's a key part of choosing the finish.  Here is one schedule that has worked for me on honduran mahogany, so may take some adjustment for your particular wood. 

   I begin with an undercoat of dye.  For a antique finish with golden undertones I start with medium yellow dye.  (For a darker "Duncan Pfyfe look the undercoat can be red.)  It will look horrible when it dries.  I then partially seal this with dewaxed shellac at less than 1 lb. cut dilution.  Still looks really bad.  Over this I then apply a brown mahogany dye, wiping off excess with a dry paper towel.  This dye won't take absolutely evenly since the shellac will have sealed the denser parts of the mahogany more effectively than the more porous parts.  This leaves a bit of the yellow to shine through, though now more golden colored because of the brown dye.  I then seal this with another thin (less than 1 lb. cut) coat of shellac. 

   Your next decision is whether to fill the pores or not.  On formal pieces--which I assume is part of what heirloom means, I prefer to fill pores.  I like an oil-based pore filler tinted to brown mahogany.  I use a mix of burnt umber and burnt sienna pigment to tint the filler.  If you want more brown lean more toward the umber, and for a more red mahogany shift toward the burnt sienna.  This colors the pores more than the surface which has been mostly sealed by the shellac. If you want the more informal look of unfilled pores substitute a pigmented stain for the pore filler.  In either case let the stain or pore filler cure quite well, at least overnight for most oil based stains, and a week for the pore filler. 

   Then seal with another coat of dewaxed shellac--2 lb. cut works well here.  I continue on with dewaxed shellac which makes a good hard finish that works well for bookcases by itself.  You can use a waterborne finish if you like, but take care not to use one which adds a bluish cast for the surface.  A few drops of amber TransTint dye in the waterborne will warm it up. 

   There are lots of variations you can experiment with.  You can change the intensity of the dye coatings.  You can also use a slightly heavier cut of shellac in the wash coats.  And of course, the colors of the dye and stains can be varied.  Using a dark shellac for top coats instead of blonde also makes a difference.  But after lots of effort in the construction, it's important to put the same diligence into the finishing process. 

    

    

1. 
   NUTTY | Aug 16, 2007 01:37am | #5

   Thanks Steve for the great advice. There is so much more to finishing than I ever knew; maybe that’s why the expensive furniture looks good. I’ll go out and get various supplies and start experimenting with them.