I am building a piece of furniture out of Padauk. I have tried a number of finishes including Teak Oil, Tung Oil, Polyurethane (thinned 50%), a combination of Boiled Linseed Oil, Turpentine and Spar Varnish (mixed 1/3 each), and Varnish (thinned 50%). None of these finishes penetrate and fill the pores in the course grain of this wood. In fact, with time and sun exposure, these pores appear to turn white against the darkening background of the wood.
Is there any way to fill these pores to produce a finish that is deep and smooth, and enable the entire surface of the wood to darken at the same rate? Also, is there a finish that would delay the darkening and preserve the deep orange red color of the wood when it is first machined? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Replies
Steven,
The pores need to be filled and there are a couple of ways to do this. One is to take a thin finish like Minwax antique oil or your teak oil and apply it to the wood and then wet sand it with a very fine paper like 600 grit. The oil will create a slurry that will lodge in the pores. You'll need to wipe the surface well after this and possibly repeat the process.
Another way is to use a pore filler. If you do this, use an oil based filler. I would strongly suggest you look into one of the finishing books out there and read up on this prior to working with it. Both Jeff Jewitts and Bob Flexnors books have good chapters on this operation. You'll probably find one or both in a local library.
The color will oxidize over time and change. Keeping it out of strong light will slow it but not stop it. A spar varnish will have U V inhibitors that will slow the change, but it is a finish designed to be outdoors as it is relatively soft and not well suited for furniture use.
Peter
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