Sleigh Bed build from American Ash – Any suggestions on finishes?
Hi All,
Just joined this forum today, from the Shetland Islands in the UK.
This is quite a special project for me in more ways than one, I am a Marine Engineer to trade and haven’t done much fine wood working like this, Built a few sheds and house extensions on my own house, but nothing like this before.
What sent me down the road was when my grandparents passed away 2 years ago, I was left along with all the other grandchildren a small amount of money, and have sat on it wondering what to do with it. I came up with the idea to build a bed from wood which would last several lifetimes, so i got on to Rhino and designed this and it is now built as you can see from the photos.
I am quite happy with how it has come out, but am struggling on what finish to use to bring the grain out on both the dark and light wood, i have tried several things on scrap pieces, Danish Oil, Linseed Oil, Poly but none of it is bringing the grain in the lighter parts up the way i would like, the darker wood is coming out fine. Any opinions / comments are welcome.
Thanks
Robert
Replies
Try a coat of shellac, preferably dewaxed. I like the way it highlights the grain.
Looks great Robert. I agree with John_C2. Do you know how to post it in the gallery when your through?
Hi,thanks to both of you for the comments, and no I'm not sure how to post it there, it won't be for a couple of weeks as I'm back at work offshore so won't get it finished till I get home.
Considering the light/dark wood proximity you'll have to pick a single something. Look for a can of danish oil with a bit of color to it and run a test. The dark wood will darken slightly, but the light wood should show it more in the grain.
Thanks for the reply, what about tinted Osmo Polyx oil?
I have no experience with it... if you have some do a sample, that's the only way you'll know what to expect. It's a big project, take your time working out the end game.
I was thinking of ordering some sample sachets, they are only a pound each,do will order several of them, looks like a decent product but will have to try. Want to make it the best it can be. Get it right.
How to submit a gallery - At top menu bar, if your click on "More" and scroll down and click on gallery, you'll see what others have posted. Then to the right there is a place that says "Submit a Gallery" where you can click and submit. The other way is to click on your password name at the top (right of the menu) click and scroll down to "submit a gallery". You can post pictures and type in explanations. Any time you click on someone else's password name on one of their blog posts, you go to their gallery submissions.
Thanks for that, will post it once I'm done with it.
I have sawn large quantities of white ash into 6/4 and 8/4 because of the availability caused by the emerald ash borer. Depending on the part of the trunk from which the board was cut, the seasoned boards can be nearly as white as maple but with a brown cast caused by the grain. Others can be overall much more brown. Quarter sawn boards have color variability within the boards. So, cabinets, tables, boxes, etc., appear much different in color before finishing, as is the case with your beautiful bed. I've found that the only finish that will preserve lightness is a lacquer. Oils impart darker tones, depending on the oil. Scratches and dings on hard finishes such as lacquer are much more difficult to repair than oil finishes, but oils are not resistant to water.
On a bed, I would I favor oil. A solvent based poly can be blended with an oil to give some of the benefits of each. Heating is not necessary. Just mix and experiment with ratios. You can blend in a solvent such as mineral spirits for faster drying.
I like 60% oil and 40% matte polyurethane in most cases. The result has the richness of oil but some of the protection of poly. Use less oil for a lighter tone and faster drying.
The only "real" oils for wood finishing are linseed, tung and hemp. Others, like Danish or teak are one of the "real" oils with a solvent blended for faster absorption and drying. Dark tung oil can be had for a particularly dark result.
Another alternative is beeswax heated with an oil, which cools to a semi-solid paste. It's beautiful for a hand rubbed result. Experiment with linseed or dark tung for a range of results.
All oils must be rubbed on, allowed to stand for an hour, more or less, then rubbed and allowed to stand until the tackiness disappears before reapplying. If allowed to remain without removing excess, the rest result will be gummy. Three coats should be adequate.
Thankyou for your detailed reply and comments, much appreciated, will experiment with what you said, as I said in another post, I want to make sure i get this right, been so much work getting it done, i want the finish to do it justice.
Thanks
Robert
The Bible on finishes, by the way, is Understanding Wood Finishing by Bob Flexner, now in its third edition. Available from Amazon.
Hemp oil also is available from Amazon. Real Milk Paint, Hemp Oil for Wood Finishing, Cutting Boards, Butcher Blocks, Countertops, Wood Utensils, Food Grade, 16 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V92IWSA/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_464FPBR0V3A4XJKV7D49?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
You can also find tung, dark tung and non-toxic citrus solvent from the same vendor, Real Milk Paint, on Amazon.
The only way to get the darker and lighter areas to be the same color is to either use a very dark stain over it all (which may bounce off the ash), or differentially stain/dye the lighter areas. I have had reasonable success (meaning it looked good but I (and probably only I) could see what I had done) with using a dye (TransTint) and feathering it out just as I get to the darker area. Be aware that you need to apply the top coats of finish to be able to see what the final color of the dye is. Typically the color deepens with finish applications, and reds get more visible. Be sure to practice anything on scrap first.
Just reread your original post, and am not sure my previous comment is aimed at what you are looking for. What you may be facing is that the darker wood is heartwood, hence has extractives in it that make it denser. Hence fewer coats of finish consolidate the surface. I face this in using oil finishes on cherry, as the sapwood is much less dense, and the finish doesn't build nearly as quickly in/on it. I'm not sure if the light wood/dark wood are sapwood/heartwood in ash, but they are likely acting like that. There are other trees (tulip poplar, persimmon) that have wide sapwood and much less heartwood. Try a few more coats...
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