Replies

1. 
   Danford_C._Jennings | Jan 02, 2002 11:06pm | #1

   *
   Hello Eric,

   Welcome to both the forum and to wood working.

   There was a time when Poplar was considered the "poor man's Cherry". It has a similar "wild" grain that Cherry has. While "traditionally" it was used primarily as a secondary wood in furniture making, it was and still is highly desirable for use in architectural mill work that is to be painted because it takes a finish so well.

   Assuming that this is 4/4 sapwood of FAS stock, I would suggest the use of Min Wax Cherry (#235) Wood Finish as a stain. Depending on your climate, I would advise that you brush on the stain, let it stand for 10-20 minutes then wipe off the excess with soft clean 100% cotton rags from an old t-shirt. By testing on a scrap piece you will be able to ascertain how long the stain should stand and how much "rubbing" is necessary to achieve the darkness and eveness of tone of the stain; with the understanding that the final finish will darken the piece somewhat and that over time the piece will also darken. This is a "trick" I learned during my apprenticeship, though it is one that has been around for much longer than I have been.

   To easily obtain a durable "hand rubbed" look finish and learning the "mechanics" of applying such a finish, I would highly recommend that you try Min Wax Wipe On Poly in either a satin or semi-gloss finish, using 400 grit silicon carbide, dry, sandpaper between coats using a very light touch. Min Wax does recommend three coats, I prefer to use 6.
   i Do not
   use a tack cloth to wipe up any sanding residue.

   The success of your finished piece will be determined by the attention you devote to preparing the surface for finish work, this is a fundamental regardless of the finish used.

   As your wood working and finish skills improve, you will gain more confidence in using more "traditional" penetrating and film finishes and how and when to use them.

   If you think the piece might not see heavy use, there are numerous wipe on varnishes and penetrating oils that will easily yield excellent results. A simple tung oil finish is but one example and can be rubbed out to a high gloss.

   IMO, the above will result in a project that will give you tremendous pride and satisfaction when completed.

   On another note, there is a mind boggling amount of information available here and when time permits you to, I highly recommend that you conduct some searches you will be astonished by what can be found. I personally feel that this forum is the best available on the Internet and that it is the benchmark which others use.

   Again, welcome to
   i Knots
   and please, do not ever hesitate to ask any question or share with us what you have to offer.

   Dano

1. 
   Ben_Herman | Jan 08, 2002 10:34pm | #2

   *Dano - As a moderate "newbie", I found your advice to Eric interesting and agree with it - I have had very good results with the wipe-on poly finishes. I'm curious though, why you advise against tack cloths for between-coat cleanup, and what do you use as an alternate - water or spirits?By the way Eric, I know this varies from region to region, but where I live in the west, Alder is a good alternative to Poplar. It too is called "poor man's cherry", finishes and works well, isn't expensive, but doesn't have the sometimes greenish tinge of Poplar.Ben

1. 
   Danford_C._Jennings | Jan 08, 2002 11:30pm | #3

   *Ben,Min Wax advises against it. When I first tried the product, I did not heed that advice. My take is that their formulation does not agree with the residue that a tack cloth will sometimes leave behind. I vacuum and use compressed air.Dano