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I am in the process of building a table out of wenge. I have heard several very different ways to finish this oily wood and would be thankful to anyone who could confirm which is the best process.
One bit of advice has me applying a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and turpentine, another process uses shellac as a sealer coat followed by a wipe on poly, another recommends several teak oil applications.
Thanks in advance to any responses!
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Replies
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Michael,
Sorry for quibbling, but I've never found Wenge
to be anything remotely like an oily wood (teak,
A Blackwood, Rosewoods, ...). As such, I had found
that it's rather tolerant of a wide range of
finishes. So, chose your finish by appearance
and in-use considerations and have at it.
Personally, I find one heavy coat of some type of
wipe-on oil is nice (boiled or polymerized
linseed oil, Watco, etc). Why? It adds a degree
of richness to the dard color that I don't get
with a purely surface finish.
When I need a surface
finish on Wenge, I've used a variety of varnishes
and lacquers. Never polyu. Gloss acrylic or
nitro lacquer is the showiest finish, but my
tastes run to a satin alkyd varnish finish.
Good luck with your project.
John F
*I agree. Wenge is not an oily wood. Just about any finish will work well.Jim
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