Replies

1. 
   bill_1010 | Sep 04, 2002 07:02pm | #1

   id use turpentine or mineral spirits to thin down BLO and not laquer thinner.  If you start out with a finish that is 1part BLO to 5 parts thinner it should help with blotching.

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 04, 2002 07:02pm | #2

   Jose, I'm not expert in finishing cherry but have been doing some reading on in lately.  Whatever you do, practice on a scrap piece before tackling your hard-earned finished piece! 

   In Jeff Jewitt's book Great Wood Finishes he has 3 methods recommended for finishing cherry.  The stain is what leads to blotchiness, and gel stains are less likely to do this.  If you want to stain the cherry, Method 2 is:

   1. Sand to 180 or 220 grit and remove sanding dust
   2. Apply a 2-lb. cut of shellac.  Wait 30 minutes, lightly scuff-sand with 320-grit.
   3. Apply a gel stain.  Let dry overnight.
   4. Apply several coats of desired finish

   His Method 1 involves boiled linseed oil.  Doesn't have a stain in this recipe, but cherry darkens over time, so you may not need a stain.

   1. Sand to 180 or 220, clean off dust
   2. Flood the surface with boiled linseed oil or an oil/varnish blend.  Let dry at least overnight.
   3. Pad, brush, or spray on a dark garnet-colored shellac.  Several coats.  When dry, wax with dark paste wax.

   Jeff has a finishing products business, web address is:  http://www.homesteadfinishing.com

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   forestgirl | Sep 04, 2002 07:08pm | #3

   PS:  Even with a gel stain, you could get some blotchiness.  Yes, a washcoat will help with this.  A 1-lb. cut of shellac should work, brushed or wiped on quickly, excess wiped off quickly.  Sand with 320-grit when it's dry, then on to your stain.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

4. 
   PlaneWood | Sep 04, 2002 08:24pm | #4

   Wouldn't hurt to add a tad of Japan Drier to the boiled linseed oil.  Without it, I would wait several days for it to cure well.  But, I'm in high humidity country.

   I don't get blotchiness when using Old Masters Penetrating Cherry Stain.  Their color mimics aged cherry the best I've seen.  I brush it on straight out of the can, let it dry, then 0000 steel wool, then a couple or three coats of thinned poly followed by more steel wool and buffing with a lambs wool bonnet on a power buffer.  When brushing on the stain, i really go at it with the brush basically till it's dry to the touch.  I never wipe it down while it's wet.  I like the semi-gloss look of poly that has been steel wooled and buffed.  I use Deft gloss poly.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
   PlaneWood

5. 
   RW | Sep 15, 2002 09:55pm | #5

   Have done such a thing with really nice results. I'll tell you what I've tried and what didn't work. The oil, as you know, will darken the cherry. This becomes more pronounced over time. If you only do 1 coat of oil, it probably will look blotchy as some areas will absorb more than others. I was going for the grand piano finish on a cherry table and ended up doing about seven applications of oil until I felt the thing was adequately saturated. At that point, there was very little blotch going on. Once done, put it away for a good month and let everything dry and cure. I've tried shellac on top as a sealer since my first attempt at oil under a lacquer finish was not a resounding success, but the shellac doesn't seem to like the oil any better. Allowing for more dry time resolved this. I put several coats of lacquer on the table, let it sit off in a corner again, and rubbed it out. Wham. Nicest cherry I ever did. I do suspect that the issue with the shellac was once again a drying issue since I do go overboard on the oil, so yes, it's my own darn fault, but once everything is dry and right, a couple years down the road that cherry table is one of those pieces you look at and just fall through. The combination of sheen and depth is quite nice.

1. 
   user-310309 | Sep 16, 2002 06:04pm | #6

   Thanks for your reply.  Are you suggesting that I apply laqcuer over the oil instead of shellac?  Or, is either finish fine provided I allow for enough drying time?  Also, do you believe that thinning the oil is in order?  If so, w/ what shall I thin the boiled linseed oil?  Should I used denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner? 

   I'm nearing the end of my project and can hardly wait to "finish" it.

   Jose

1. 
   bill_1010 | Sep 16, 2002 09:56pm | #7

   i use turpentine for BLO(i prefer the smell of turpentine), or you can use mineral spirits.  Denatured Alcohol is for shellac thinning and making.

2. 
   RW | Sep 17, 2002 12:29am | #8

   I don't thin the BLO, but if you feel compelled, turpentine is compatible. Maybe you know this, but there's low grade turpentines sold as just "turpentine" which have impurities in them, then theres the stuff you'd find at most reputable paint stores (Sherwin, for instance) that say Pure gum spirits of Turpentine. You want the pure stuff.

   More on the shellac vs. lacquer. My first try at this looked great, and I was tickled, but the error of my ways became evident. I shipped the table about 1000 miles away and was depressed to learn that the top looked "pitted" when it arrived. I asked for photos, ready to go after the shipper. Well, the photos made it clear that the "pitting" was a nice match for the packing material, and the finish was the culprit - too soft still. This bothered me, and I had a debate with self whether it was the oil and lacquer not getting along or what. After considerable research and talking to other finishing gurus, (I even emailed Dresdner and hey, if you want a good answer to something you're losing sleep over, it's worth ten bucks) and came to the conclusion that the oil and lacquer should get along fine so long as the oil was dry. Second attempt at this, thinking the oil was dry (hey, it had been ten days since the last application) I put super blonde dewaxed shellac on it just to see if a sealer / tie coat might not alleviate what ailed me. This one was for home use so I was all about experimentation. The shellac, when dry, looked like that hazy skim you get when you melt butter and let it cool again. I decided then that I wouldn't use shellac again in this combination, and lightly sanded everything off until I was back down to the wood. From there on out, my policy has been one of patience. I won't lacquer it for at least 30 days, and I won't rub the lacquer out for another 30. Since then, no problems. IMHO, this process looks best on cherry and spalted maple.

1. 
   user-310309 | Sep 17, 2002 08:02am | #9

   thank you for a very informative reply.

   Jose