# Finish for apple?



## Alf (21 Jan 2005)

Asked more in hope than expectation; anyone got any experience of finishing apple? Finish of choice? Searches are bringing up not much.

Cheers, Alf


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## Aragorn (21 Jan 2005)

Just nibble back to the core, avoid the pips, and pop the lot in the compost.
Can't see the problem really   


(Sorry. That didn't help did it Alf  )


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## Anonymous (21 Jan 2005)

Aragorn":2tl1qm28 said:


> (Sorry. That didn't help did it Alf  )



Funny though :lol: :lol:


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## trevtheturner (22 Jan 2005)

Can't think of a better way, Aragorn. :lol: :lol: :lol: 
Only problem is when there's just half a maggot left in the core! :shock: :roll: 

Sorry, Alf, not much help I 'spect.

Cheers,

Trev.


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## Chris Knight (22 Jan 2005)

Alf,
A little here:- 
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/phpBB ... ight=apple


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## Alf (22 Jan 2005)

Thanks Chris, that's all I found too. 

Thank you, gentlemen. Don't call us, we'll call you. :roll: 

Cheers, Alf


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## Aragorn (22 Jan 2005)

Ahh! I see what you meant now Alf :wink: :roll: 
Was wondering why this wasn't Off-topic  

Can you not finish apple like any other wood? Oil finish?
What might go wrong with using finishing oil or danish?

Please let me know what you find out, as I want to use some apple soon myself.
Ta


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## Alf (22 Jan 2005)

Aragorn":3ih2w6cn said:


> Ahh! I see what you meant now Alf :wink: :roll:
> Was wondering why this wasn't Off-topic


Yeah yeah, pull the other one, it's got bells on...



Aragorn":3ih2w6cn said:


> Can you not finish apple like any other wood? Oil finish?
> What might go wrong with using finishing oil or danish?


Well yeah, but sometimes there's a finish that particularly lends itself to bringing out the best in a particular timber, and rather than reinventing the wheel I figured I might as well ask (a decision I now regret... ). Looking pretty firm on shellac now 'cos I fear oil may make it too yellow in time.

Cheers, Alf


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## Noel (22 Jan 2005)

Didn't Citizen Smith's mother used to polish them with Pledge....? Think she's now Alfiie Moon's mother in Endeasters.....

Noel, always helpful


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## Sgian Dubh (22 Jan 2005)

Alf, it depends what qualities you're after. Are you requiring super durability, toughness, resistance to alcohol, water spillage or water vapour exchange? Then an epoxy finish might suit the bill.

On the other hand are you looking for a soft tactile finish that perhaps doesn't have some of the qualities listed in the first paragraph? An oil or thinned out soft varnish like danish oil might suit.

From a later posting you made in this thread I gather you want to retain the original apple colour as much as you can-- but still, what other qualities do you require?

Shellac is a brittle finish that doesn't resist alcohol, is quite reasonably water resistant, but it is easily repairable. To retain original wood colour as much as possible use a super blonde de-waxed shellac. Dewaxed shellac cures harder than the waxy varieties and offers better protection against liquid ingress.

If you want better protection then the super blonde dewaxed shellac is still a good start as a first coat because it gives the wood some warmth colourwise, which is important as you'll see as you read on. 

Any other film forming polish can be applied over *dewaxed* shellac, even water based polishes which are notoriously sensitive to impurities underneath them. So, you could follow up with water based varnish (polish) which dries clear without the yellowing or ambering seen in oil based varnishes. 

The problem with water based finishes I've found is that the manufacturers still haven't got the formulation just so. They still tend to dry with a milky look about them, and often have a blue cast and can look rather flat, cold or dead depending upon your prefered term. 

They are often formulated with good UV (ultra violet) blockers, and because they are a reasonably effective seal around the wood they reduce the passage of air and vapour (gases). UV light and oxidisation of wood constituents lead to wood colour change.

So, you can warm the colour of the wood with the shellac, and give more physical protection with water based varnish, but there is a bit of a twist. Water based varnish is not the easiest stuff to apply well, and it's not all that easy to fix down the road. 

With every benefit comes something of a difficulty, ha, ha. Slainte.


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## Alf (22 Jan 2005)

Sgian Dubh":l54m4m7p said:


> Alf, it depends what qualities you're after.


Ah well, if that was a vital aspect it'd have made the decision that much easier. As it is I shall go with the shellac*, and as you say, I can always get creative over it if I need to. It was just on the off-chance someone would come up with a "Oh you want to use X, it works brilliantly with apple" answer really. Thanks for the detailed reply though, and I know exactly what you mean about a "dead" look to water based. Shame, 'cos it's handy stuff.

Cheers, Alf

*Blonde, de-waxed, mixed it myself - fear not. :wink:


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## Chris Knight (22 Jan 2005)

I look forward to seeing the finished shave.


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## Alf (22 Jan 2005)

waterhead37":1jgbqarz said:


> I look forward to seeing the finished shave.


See if you still feel the same way once you've waded through the whole painful, step-by-step process in words and pictures... :wink:

Cheers, Alf


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## Midnight (23 Jan 2005)

<speculating..

replacement Diston handles..????


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## Alf (23 Jan 2005)

Midnight":2bd8kel1 said:


> <speculating..
> 
> replacement Diston handles..????


Chris was on the money (although whether that was luck or judgement..?), although the apple was originally bought for saw handles as it happens.

Cheers, Alf


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