I am building an armoire entertainment center out of hickory/pecan. I expect to finish it in varnish. The references I have say that the wood should be filled because the pores are relatively large and blotching can occur in the staining process.
Jeff Jewitt’s book, “great Wood Finishes” confuses me in the sequence of operations. Can someone please look at the sequence I plan to use and tell me if it is correct?
1. Sanding down to 320.
2. Remove the dust; brush and vacuum.
3. Condition the wood with a 5:1 solution of mineral spirits to polyurethane; this to prevent blotching.
4. Stain; just the sapwood to obtain a uniform color.
5. Fill the pores with paste filler and lightly sand.
6. Finish with several coats of Polyurethane.
Any comments on any of the operations would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
Thanking you in advance,
Tom Pavey
Replies
Tom,
I avoid sand paper like the plaque, I don't use thin downed mineral spirits to wipe down the piece, rarely do I use a grain filler and when I do it's before staining (if I stain), occassionally I use Min Wax's Wipe on Poly....
My finishing schedule depends on the wood, the piece, and how it is to be used. So, where's the confusion? ;-)
Dano
A couple of observations.
Your references mention blotching when staining pecan. I can understand that. But in your sequence, you only mention that you would be "Stain; just the sapwood to obtain a uniform color." Why not go for a uniform natural finish? Otherewise, I would guess you would be applying stain between steps 5 and 6, correct? Would that be construed as staining bwteen the lines? :)
Some prior threads talk about sanding grit. Opinion here seems to lean toward 220/240 as plenty before applying finish.
The important thing is to have in your mind's eye what the finished piece is going to look like. Natural; darker; uniform color; shiny; matte; mirror smooth; grain pores evident...? These are all variables which you can acheive with different finishing styles. Start with the end and work backwards to get your "sequence".
Scott
Tom,
Each woodworker probably has his own method and sequence, so you're likely to get lots of different answers on this one. (Remember in "It Happened One Night" Clark Gable explaining to Claudette Colber how different men undress?)
There may be some agreement, however, that going past 220 grit sandpaper is a waste of time. Especially on hardwoods I never use more than 220 grit. And I too avoid all the sanding I can; I prefer to use planes and scrapers--they really do leave a much nicer surface. But beyond that:
I am convinced that shellac makes a much better foundation coat than thinned down anything. Using a spit coat of shellac (about a 1/2 or 1 lb. cut) on tough woods to stain evenly, such as cherry, results in no blotching whatever. It is nearly foolproof to apply; any mistakes are easily fixed with a little steel wool dipped in alcohol. And if you buy flakes and mix your own you know you will have no trouble with it drying--and flakes can be kept forever. (I know, the maker of your poly warns you not to use shellac under their product. But this is bogus advice: I have used shellac under every kind and nearly every brand of film finish and have never had a problem--and I would bet dollars to doughnuts no one else has either. A friend who refinishes for a living told me the manufacturers say this just to sell more product.)
Whether to stain first or fill first depends on what products you're using. If your filler takes stain well, you would probably get a more even color by filling first. If your filler has already been tinted to match the finish color, then stain first. In other words, EXPERIMENT!
I have previously admitted to being a heretic, so I see no reason to stop now. I wouldn't use poly if they paid me to do so. I don't like the color (though it's not nearly as "green" as it used to be) but mostly I don't like the quality of the surface it leaves. If this is going to be a surface that must have a film finish on it (a table top, for example) I would use good old-fashioned varnish. I like the way it looks--to me it makes for a much "deeper" finish--but most of all I like the way I can control the final degree of shine. I use only gloss varnish, and then rub out the final coat to the sheen I want. It is very difficult--or maybe even impossible--to do this with poly. But I am just one poor lost soul tilting at windmills (windmills probably finished with poly).
Alan
Tom,
I've been researching doing an entertainment center also - I'm curious - did you develop your own plan, buy one, or something else? I wanted to do a 3 piece - the one in the middle taller - I've printed out some of the free plans off the 'net but haven't really found one I liked yet.
Hey Tom,
I agree that 320 is too fine. On white woods I only sand to 180 and 150 for everything else. After using the random orbit, I follow with the same grit on a hand pad in the direction of the grain to eliminate any swirl marks.
If I understand correctly, you are not staining the entire piece but only the sapwood. If this is the case, you don't need a washcoat to partially seal the wood before staining. What you want is a dye that you can brush on the sapwood to shift it's color to match the surrounding late wood. There are dyes made just for this purpose and are labeled "sap stain." For example, if you go to http://www.woodfinishingsupplies.com and click on stains, you will find sap stains for a couple different woods (not hickory/pecan). You can get a dye from Jeff Jewitt at http://www.homesteadfinishing.com that will do the job on hickory and/or pecan. Jeff doesn't specifically market his dyes as sap stains but he will be able to help you achieve the results you want.
Paul
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