# Finish for ash



## simuk (26 Jan 2005)

Hello everyone,

I have just finished a cofee table made out of american white ash.
And would like advice on what finish to use. The finish i am after will have to be durable, mat, and not look to placticy. Want somthing that wont make the grain stand out to much.

Would like to be able to apply with cloth or sponge as usless with a paint brush. 

The table is going into a small central heated house by a window, so it will be exposed to direct sunlight and high heat

Thanks inadvance for any help 

Simuk


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## Philly (26 Jan 2005)

Hi Simuk
You are asking a lot of a finish-not plasticy, take a lot of stick and sit in the sun!
Most finsihes involve some compromise-i.e. shellac is a beautiful clear natural finish but not the best if you're going to drip hot coffee over it!
I have finished two pieces I made from ash with danish oil (Colron, I think is was). Three coats then rubbed out with steel wool left a lovely natural satin finish, which is also quite durable. Anything left in the sun a lot will be affected by the rays-this can change the colour, amongst other things.
Maybe thinned down poly would be good for you-it is hardwearing, and if you put it on right shouldn't look to plasticky.
Hope this helps,
Philly


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## Chris Knight (26 Jan 2005)

Ash has a strong tendency to develop a very fierce grainy appearance with many finishes/stains 

I used the Patina finish that has been favourably mentioned here in this forum on my last project with ash - it came out much as I wanted as shown here:- 







However, experience and good advice showed me that I had to rub it in much harder than I did on my first use of this product (when I was not impressed) . 

All in all, very easy to apply and durable


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## Alf (26 Jan 2005)

simuk":74tdhwtb said:


> I have just finished a cofee table made out of american white ash.


So have I. 






I used Patina, and as Chris says, you need to apply it fairly sparingly and buff it out _hard_. If you need to, I've found a neutral wax applied with a fine non-woven abrasive sucessfully cuts back any plastic-iness. With ash though, the open grain largely forestalls that; it's one of my favourite finishes for ash now. A search on it in the archive will bring up quite a bit on various people's experiences with it.

Cheers, Alf


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## frank (26 Jan 2005)

simuk i made a coffee table with iroko i used patina for the finish the wife put a flower vase on it and put it by the window ,now we have a table with a nice light ring on the top .if you must put your table by a window cover it with a small table cloth or it will bleach 

ps i bet norman or the restorer have redone a few bits that have been in the sun .


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## Aragorn (26 Jan 2005)

Frank - I'm surpirsed by that! How many coats of Patina did you apply?


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## Philly (26 Jan 2005)

Aragorn
Bet it was a mark where the sun hadn't bleached it, not a water mark.
Only guessing
Philly


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## simuk (28 Jan 2005)

Hi everyone, 

Thanks for all the advice. I Have decided to join the patina users club and applied the first coat today. Will post pics of finished result when i work out how to post pics. :lol: 

Simuk


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## frank (29 Jan 2005)

aragon it was a good few coats , philly yes your right but on the photo my lad took it looks like a water mark


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## Anonymous (29 Jan 2005)

simuk":39d1epzf said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Thanks for all the advice. I Have decided to join the patina users club
> Simuk



Me too  I use Ash a lot and Alf and Chri's posts tempted me enough to try it :wink: Should arrive Monday if screwfix keep their promises


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## simuk (29 Jan 2005)

Hello everyone

Have some american walnut sections in my coffee table, and have come across a problem. After sanding the walnut sections i used a tact cloth to wipe the table and then used a cloth with white spirit to clean table. Applied the patina finish. and i am left with white specks on the walnut. Thought the problem might be that i never got rid of all the sandiest before applying the patina, So rub it down and repeated the process and ended up with the same result :?: .

The specs are mainly on the end grain of the walnut.

Anyone got any ideas please?

Alf in the picture of your coffee table the finish does not look no where near as yellow as mine or waterhead37, was that because of


> neutral wax applied with a fine non-woven abrasive.
> 
> Frank sorry to hear about the ring and thanks for the warning.
> 
> ...


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## Alf (30 Jan 2005)

simuk":3ndl28wf said:


> Alf in the picture of your coffee table the finish does not look no where near as yellow as mine or waterhead37, was that because of
> 
> 
> > neutral wax applied with a fine non-woven abrasive.


Doubt it; more like the nature of the ash I used. It's a lot paler than any I've had before.

My experience of walnut is next to zero, so I'll leave that one to more experienced responders.

Cheers, Alf


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## Gill (30 Jan 2005)

Hi Simuk

That sort of cross contamination is quite a common problem in marquetry. The way we get round it is to apply sanding sealer before we start sanding. Sanding sealer is a fluid that dries clearly and it blocks the open pores of wood so that no dust from differently coloured woods can enter.

Perhaps you could apply some sanding sealer to your piece, then lightly scrape (or sand) away the contaminated areas?

Gill


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## simuk (30 Jan 2005)

Hi Gill,

Used sanding sealer at the start, put one coat on then rub down before using patina.







Blimey my picture is there, it was easier to make the table than it was to 
get this picture to appear.  

Thanks

Simuk


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## Chris Knight (30 Jan 2005)

Simuk

I expect the service doesn't allow direct linking. Also there is something odd with the file name. It is a gif image but that does not appear as en extension in the file properties. If you include the gif extension in your message there is a page not found error. This might be the way Tinypic controls things.

Nice table anyway! I lke the joints, they look very well done.


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## DaveL (30 Jan 2005)

Simuk,

No Idea why the picture does not load.  
No idea how to fix your finishing problem.  

But I love that Table, please post some more pictures when you get it finished off.


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## aldel (30 Jan 2005)

Try



as you can view the image if you type in the web link.

aldel


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## simuk (31 Jan 2005)

Thanks Dave & Waterhead

Cant take the credit for the desighn as spotted in a woodworking mag, cannot remember the name of the mag but will dig it out if anyone is interested. In the magazine they made a desk out of walnut with, maple keys which looked lovely. Decided to make smaller version out of ash to keep the price down and need a coffee table. I like the fact that it was fairly simple to make & is a nice and chunky piece . 
Seemed to go through loads of magazines & surfing the net, before i found anything that appealed to me to make, so when i came across this desighn it was a real bonus.

Now back to surfing the net and trawling through them mags again, for my next project.
Went in MFI yesterday total waste of time, nothing inspired me only disgusted me :evil: .

Simuk


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## Anonymous (31 Jan 2005)

Well, Screwfix delivered on time. Tried out the on Patina some Ash and a piece of mahogany tonight and very impressed - easy to use and looks lovely. 

Just need to establish how tough it is now. 
Any comments? Alf? Chris? other users?


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## Chris Knight (1 Feb 2005)

Tony,

I'm not sure how tough it is as I haven't put any wear on the box, so to speak. Andy made a great dining table and used it on that and the finish has withstood family life and small children.


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## dedee (1 Feb 2005)

Tony, 
The patina finish used on this dining table is very tough, heat resitant (hot tea cups etc), water resistant spills etc just wipe dry - but repeated banging with the sharp end of a fork does leave marks!

It gets cleaned periodocally with a damp cloth then bog standard spray on furniture polish.







Andy
edit ps the finish was put on in 1994 & looks as good now as it did then.


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## Anonymous (1 Feb 2005)

Hi Simuk
thats a lovely table you have made. Can you post more pics when its finished. Could you also tell which magazine you see it in


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## Anonymous (2 Feb 2005)

Thanks for the reply Chris

Andy

Lovely table and the finish looks good as new as you said. I get the feeling that this patina will be my number one finish from now on :wink: 

Did I miss a post of your table (or forget? now that I'm 'in' my 40s and my memory is going - trying to catch my faculties  ) don't remember seeing it before on here :?


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## dedee (2 Feb 2005)

Tony, 
there are a few more pictures and some words here
http://www.geocities.com/dedeeswoodwork ... ojects.htm

It was made in 1994 when I knew very little about what I was doing. I would certainly do it differently today (especially the table top joints!)


Andy


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## Freetochat (13 Oct 2006)

I know this is an old topic, but wanted to try some Patina on Ash as I don't want the ash to yellow as in an oil finish . Screwfix is not listing this product in their catalogue or on their site. Can it be purchased anywhere else?

Regards

John

*SORRY - Found another thread that answered my question*


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## A_n_g_e_l_a (15 Oct 2006)

simuk":2z1vf89u said:


> i used a tact cloth to wipe the table



Is that the kind that says nice things about the finish as it goes on? :roll: 

Angela


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