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Hi,
I am just finishing construction of a four poster bed made from maple. Some pieces are spalted others are sap wood. My intention for finishing is to use a white pickling stain to try and maintain the light color of the natural wood but to maintain the figured grain.
I have been doing some research on the net to determine the best technique. Some people advocate raising the grain first with water, sanding with 150 grit sandpaper and then sealing the wood. With this method the grain is supposed to stand out once the pickling stain is applied.
Does anyone have any experience or comment on this technique. It has taken me close to a year to get to this stage and I am petrified of obscuring the beautiful figuring.
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Stuart,
I've never catered to pickling because I feel that it
i does
obscure the natural beauty of the wood. I believe that pickling only works well on the more open grain type of woods such as Oak.
Having said that, if you are trying to "pop" the grain, I would recommend a light coat of boiled linseed oil, rubbed in by hand. Let it dry for a week or so, depending on your climate, then apply your finish. If this were my project, I would go with an oiled and waxed finish. Over time the Maple will "mellow" to a light amber tone, which IMO, is truely beautiful.
I have had success in "aging" Birdseye Maple using a 2lb cut of Bulls Eye Orange Shellac. If you decide to go this route, experiment first on some scrap. FWIW.
Dano
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