# Finishing beech and mahogany ?



## Anonymous (27 Dec 2002)

Ok i need to find a finish that i can use on both beech and mahogany because these to woods are laminated on top of each other.The finish i am lookin for is something in a very light colour i have no experience with finishing so far. So i am lookin for advice on what you have used or what you know is good  .


----------



## Keystone (27 Dec 2002)

Mike

Depends on what you plan on using the item for. I almost always suggest a shellac. A Garnet or Amber would really look nice. If you need a harder surface, it can always be top coated with poly.


----------



## Anonymous (27 Dec 2002)

Oh sorry i forgot to say that it is for my G.C.S.E Resistant materials project i am building a decrotive table light and the wood section holds the light housing.So all i want is it to look good.


----------



## Keystone (27 Dec 2002)

_G.C.S.E Resistant materials project _


Don't have a clue what that is!


----------



## Anonymous (27 Dec 2002)

School thing in the uk that you do  But it don't matter all you need to know is that these woods will be for a decrotive part of my lighting construction.


----------



## Anonymous (27 Dec 2002)

Mike,

I think Keystone's right; try wiping on blonde, de-waxed shellac if you want a light finish. Liberon sell it all ready mixed up as "Special Pale French Polish". Use a cotton cloth and wipe it on with the grain. Don't scrub it; just put it on to the wood like you were landing an aeroplane on the surface and then taking off again at the end. By the time you've finished one coat, the area where you started will probably be able to take another. This is light coats BTW, don't drip it on. Let it dry for a couple of hours, and then lightly rub it back with fine abrasive (320-400 grit) or grey webrax (or equivalent) is good for shaped stuff. It's worth wiping down with a tack cloth to get rid of the abraded residue. Then wipe on another coat as before, and so on until you've got the finish you want. With careful rubbing back and wiping of coats you can get a very shiny finish, or you can rub it down again and apply wax, or anything really. Shellac's a very forgiving finish, and pretty hard to _really_ screw up. If you do, you can wipe it down with meths and start again, of so I believe. I haven't managed to make a mess of it _yet_. Try it on a bit of scrap and experiment. Yell if you need any clarification, and bear in mind I'm no expert and this is just the way I do it. Try it, you'll like it. :wink: 

Cheers, Jester


----------



## bobthejoiner (27 Dec 2002)

Hello,
Try Danish oil or Antique oil both very easy to apply let each coat dry and then buff up. simple, the job not you 
Cheers BTJ


----------



## Anonymous (27 Dec 2002)

Speaking from experience, I would say that an oil finish (either danish or liberon finishing) would be your best option. If you use any sort of varnish or shellac (anysurface finish for that matter) in a school, you can guarantee that as soon as you leave the room, some :twisted: fool :twisted: is goint to put their fingers all over your work. At least with oil, you can buff finger-prints out  

I made a fishing box for my GCSE do da. 8) 

If you dont want to use oil, you could do the following:

2 coats of cellulose sanding sealer
3 coats of craftlac melamine (also cellulose based)
as many coats of paste wax as you like.

All of these coats can be applied with a rag, and de-nibbed between coats, and becase they are cellulosed based they dry almost instantly, and you will be   smiling   for the rest of the day (so will most of your mates for that matter)

Ive never been a great fan of shellac based finishes, cellulose based stuff drys quicker and smells better.

Hope this helps
Doughnut


----------



## sawdustalley (28 Dec 2002)

I'm making a bedside cabinet for my projects at the moment, out of oak and >?< (Soon to be decided) - I'll probably go with a wax in the end, or maybe an oil finish...


----------



## Anonymous (28 Dec 2002)

I can't honestly agree with the theory that cellulose based finishes smell better than shellac. Certainly it's not the case in my experience. You'll need some pretty good ventilation when applying it, I do know that. Wiped on shellac will be touch dry in about 5 mins (at the worst) as opposed to cellulose which is, what?, 2 mins? Hardly a convincing argument not to try it, I'd have thought? As for buffing out finger marks? No thanks. I'd sooner just wipe them out with the next coat.  
I'm also a bit leary of using sanding sealer. I've found it a finish prone to damage and very difficult to repair. It does make for quick finishing, but I have found you then have more time to repent later... :wink: 
BTW, I didn't suggest oil as Mike specified a "very light colour".

Cheers, Jester


----------



## Anonymous (28 Dec 2002)

Cheers everyone for all you'r help and tips,The reason i want to keep it light colured is because i want it to look very modern and i really like beech so i don't want it to be to dark but i don't know yet.
Thanks again everyone


----------



## Anonymous (28 Dec 2002)

Since when has oil been dark?

As for shellac or cellulose, I suppose its everyone to their own. 
If you cock up a cellulose finish, it is possible to remove it with cellulose thinners, pretty much the same as you would remove shellac with meths.
BTW after you've worked with cellulose based stuff for a couple of years (or a couple of days in a spray shop) you tend not to notice the smell. Its a bit like contact adhesive and pearl glue in that respect.
"There is nothing like switching on a glue pot, and having the pleasant aroma of rotting flesh, wafting its way through the workshop".



> As for buffing out finger marks? No thanks. I'd sooner just wipe them out with the next coat.


 Final coat? And before you say it, yes there does have to be a final coat with oil finishes, otherwise you don't get paid.

As far as sanding sealer goes, it is exactly that, a sealer, not a finish coat. The melamine I mentioned gives the finish its hardness, wax just adds a final shine. 

Doughnut


----------

