Recommendation For Staining / Finishing Multi-Wood Project
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I have sad honor of building a casket for my father (he is still alive). It is made primarily of white oak, with the decorative peices being made of cherry, poplar, adler, whitewood and possibly others.
I have it nearing completion and have been shying away from the thought of stain / finish. I am intimidated by it because it is the final step and I don’t want to mess it up at this stage. I have been thinking about just leaving it unfinished, but my sisters have asked that it be finished.
I have a few questions. (1) What light stain can I use that will (A) look good on all the listed woods, (B) won’t be a problem when it comes to any endgrain. (2) If a stain won’t work in this situation, what clear finish would be easy to apply?
I had concerns about the difficulty in appling either due to the fact that it was already constructed and some difficult corners and other areas. I had wanted some of the parts to have a nice contrast to the rest of the wood, such as the supports and finials for the lifting rods. I thought that the only easy, sure-fire way to do them like I wanted was to do it prior to construction. Which is too late at this point.
Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Below is a picture without the lid so you get an idea what I am working with.
Replies
Test methods
My first thought would be to carefully apply super-blond shellac to the lighter-colored wood, and then a darker shellac to the dark wood, again very carefully. That might give you the contrast you are looking for. I'd suggest testig any method on scrap first, though.
With staining, I'd be concerned about the stain "bleeding" into adjacent wood fibers.
Dad
An honor to your best friend - my thoughts are for you today.
I would seal the end grains with a wash coat of shellac. Use a gel stain to coat the entire project - find a poly that comes in both a quart can and a spray can. Brush on one good coat - lightly sand back with 400 - and spray on two light finish coats - wax
SA
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