need some help finishing walnut

[buffalobill]

Hi folks i am about to start the finishing on my project is a cradle in walnut with a stretcher in maple, i have been searching and reading how to finish walnut but i am very lost.
I read some place to put the oil first then shellac other say first shellac then oil.
What i would like it to acchive is a semigloss finish.
But maybe there is other better options any help would be appriciated.

cheers vidar

 

[carlb40]

Hi Vidar

From what little i have read/ seen about shellac. It seals the wood so oil will not penetrate the timber. So it needs to be oil first, then shellac. As always though, testing on offcuts of the same timber will give you some results to choose from.

 

[yetloh]

Hi Vidar,

It is really all about what you are looking to achieve. I have to agree that there is no substitute for testing on pieces of scrap to see what you like. For my own part, I use both oil and shellac, but never together. As Carl says, shellac will seal the wood and prevent the oil from soaking in. On the plus side, you will need fewer coats of oil and oil tends to be more durable than shellac. It will probably also reduce the darkening effect because of the absence of penetration, which you may or may not want. The downside is that a finish which which sits on the surface will show any damage more obviously than one that penetrates. If you put the oil on first the extra coats you will need will darken the wood more and are likely to make the maple rather yellow in appearance which you may not like.

Both shellac and oil can be brought to a good shine if that is what you want. With shellac you can achieve a high polish using french polishing techniques or by cutting back and burnishing it either with a burnishing compound or you can use car finish cutting compunds such as T Cut. The same technique can be used on oil once it has hardened if the natural gloss is not enough for you.

Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[buffalobill]

Hi thanks for the advices i will find some scrap and make some tests, i really dont want my maple to turn yellow is it possible to just use wax on this to prevent it to turn yellow ?

 

[marcros]

yes, but put a coat of sanding sealer on first or it will soak up the wax and need applying regularly.

 

[buffalobill]

ok thanks

 

[RogerS]

You could try a water based finish on the maple. Oil based products will always colour a pale wood like maple.