Finishing advice for Pearwood suggestions required

[Escudo]

Hello all,

I am looking for a little guidance. I have nearly finished my Pearwood mantle clock and I am wondering what finish to apply.

The timber is fairly light in colour and I would quite like to keep this shade. I have tried a test sample with some danish oil and also lemon oil and both result in a darkenening effect, very noticeable with the danish oil.

I am looking for a matt finish, not glossy and I am open to suggestions.

Any ideas?

Regards, Tony.

 

[Philly]

Tony
What about couple of very thin coats of blonde shellac? It will seal the timber timber against dirt, dust, etc, but leave the wood looking very natural.
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[woodbloke]

Tony
What about couple of very thin coats of blonde shellac? It will seal the timber timber against dirt, dust, etc, but leave the wood looking very natural.
Hope this helps
Philly

Tony - I'd agree with Philly, coupla coats of blond shellac and then a light application of wax over the top - Rob

 

[Escudo]

Thanks for the tip fellas,

Is blonde shellac the same as special pale polish?, see here;

https://vault2.secured-url.com/frenchpolishes/acatalog/Shellac_Polishes.html

I just happen to have a bottle of this, which I must confess I have never used. What is the best procedure for applying this type of finish, do you cut back each layer, and allow a day between applications?

I have almost finished construction and hope to apply the first coat at the weekend.

Cheers, Tony

 

[Philly]

Tony
Yes, that's perfect. I've been trying out some of the Smith and Rodger shellacs and they are very good - you'll need to thin it down for your application. I'd pour some into a jam jar and add the same again of meths - then you'll be ready to roll.
Hope this helps
Philly

 

[Chris Knight]

Tony,
I would recommend that you make up your own shellac from flakes. The stuff has a definite shelf life and if your bottle has been sitting around too long it might not work as well as you would wish. I reckon on six months max for any shellac mixture I use.

You can achieve any level of "mattness" that you want by using a suitable, fine abrasive on a gloss finish.