Finishing Spalted Cherry

[Noah]

I'm hanging a headboard for our bed, and it's made out of a 3" X 18" piece of spalted cherry. I'm wondering what is going to give the most interesting finish for this wood. Really bring out the color changes, etc.

One of the big constraints is that it can't smell, and can't leave any oils as our pillows and heads will be touching it.

Any suggestions?

[Dave Fleming]

What is 'can't smell'?

most all finishes are going to give off some odors as they cure but once cured should not have an after smell..

[Noah]

I just don't want any lasting odor. It can cure/dry for a week or so, but after that I don't want too much of a stink. IE I don't want my hair to smell like watco...

[Ralphw]

Cherry will naturally darken and get richer with time. I would just put a clear finish on it. I really have had good results with deft. satin would be best.

it is easy to use. just follow instructions. and sand in between with light coats. I think the can says no sand.... but do it anyway. you can also give it a really nice patina by buffing it after it is cured with a fine scotchbright pad.

BTW Deft really smells bad while using it so do it outdoors if you choose to use it. but when cured is odorless. We have a very large alder dresser I made sitting right next to our bed and there in no smell what so ever.
good luck

[ 09-17-2005, 05:52 PM: Message edited by: Ralphw ]

[Dave Fleming]

Ah Ha Understood.

You can use a wax like Renaissanse or Treewax or an oil finish like Daly's Seafin Teak Oil.

They will all outgass some what but, in week should be fine.

After applying the finish of your choice might wish to have a fan play over the surface that should help with cure and odor disappating.

[Bruce Hooke]

Issue 122 of Fine Woodworking magazine describes a wipe-on finish that is a mix of spar varnish and tung oil that I have used and found to be quite nice. I have also used straight tung oil but the varnish component of the mixed finish both adds more protection and helps you build up the finish more quickly. It may take a couple weeks for the finish to dry enough so that there will be no odor and no oils that will spread to the bed-clothes, but it shouldn't take an longer than that.

Of course if you are looking for the "ultimate" finish something like French polishing might be the way to go, but I have not ventured that "far" yet so I can't offer advice on that realm!

[StevenBauer]

Le Tonkinoise! I love this stuff.

You san get it from American Rope and Tar:www.tarsmell.com

From the website:

Le Tonkinois (Lay-TON-kin-wah) is an all natural, environmentally friendly tung oil and linseed oil based varnish oil.

It produces a rich, deep varnish finish that is strong and durable, yet it is very easy to apply and maintain.

Only a light sanding after the first coat is required...between subsequent coats, just wipe down with a water dampened rag. Very user friendly, no complicated thinning or mixing, use right out of the can.

Le tonkinois does not get brittle like synthetic varnishes, it does not crack, peel or blister. Rather, it moves with the wood, while at the same time preserving a durable, waer resistent finish.

Each formula is easy to use, works like a horse, and is stunningly beautiful.

Available in 1.2 liter cans.
Price: $31.95

I've got the No.1 on my spars: recoat in 8 hours, better UV resistance

Steven

[Bruce Taylor]

I love French polish, and can tell you how exactly how to go about it, if you're interested in learning.

Otherwise, I'd suggest a "long-oil" varnish, like the one Bruce Hooke describes. There are lots of traditional recipes for hard-curing "Danish oils" of this kind. One common mixture contains equal parts tung oil, spar varnish and turps.

There are a number of commercial wipe-on finishes out there. FWW did a roundup of various products recently...I read the article at the newsstand, but as I recall the "winner" was a polyurethane-based product (might have been the Minwax brand).

Plain polymerizing tung oil will do fine, as well, and should cure within a week.

[ 09-17-2005, 06:42 PM: Message edited by: Bruce Taylor ]

[Bob Smalser]

Trust me on this, I'm not fooling ya.

Go getcha some EasyOff oven cleaner and wipe it on a piece of your cherry scraps to try it out. Experiment with leaving it on for varying periods before wiping off with a vinegar-dampened rag. Usually the color reddens immediately for a look of deep age patina.

Then use the blond or amber shellac of your choice. Nothing looks as warm and deep as shellac inside the house. Paste wax or lemon oil for maintenance...your choice.

Nothing above will approach the finish I'm describing. It's a bed, not a boat....original shellac finishes have lasted centuries, are easily repaired with alcohol and more shellac without destroying that priceless age patina, and your piece will look better every year and never require stripping.

[ 09-17-2005, 07:25 PM: Message edited by: Bob Smalser ]

[Dave Fleming]

Cherry Furniture Maker (http://www.greendesigns.com/index.html?home)

Moser Cherry Finish (http://www.thomasmoser.com/residential/res.customer.maintenance.php)

[ssor]

Shellac smells nice lasts a long time and is endorsed by Krenoff(sp.) and Smalser. You can't get better than that.

[Noah]

I will give Bob's technique a try as it sounds intersting. I will definately test it out first, cause I would hate for it to get wonky, especially with all that spalting. It's not a perfect piece of wood, but I don't know what else I would do with it. Bolting it to the wall for a bit seems like a good idea.

Thanks everyone. I will post pictures if I like the results.

Noah

[Paul Girouard]

Noah Here's a cherry bed about ten to twelve years old . Five coats of Sam Maloofs Poly/ oil, from Rockler woodworking.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/aug2005003.jpg


It does smell when you put it on but that goes away in a week or so.

Bob Smalser idea sounds interesting, I'll have to try it on some scrape. Another use for oven off other than as saw blade cleaner , works great for that as well.

[ 09-18-2005, 01:21 AM: Message edited by: Paul Girouard ]

[Bruce Taylor]

Boy, you can find anything on the net, these days.

Here's a link to a photo-essay on applying a French polish (padded shellac) finish.

http://www.milburnguitars.com/fpbannerframes.html

http://www.milburnguitars.com/glazspiritback.jpg

[Bob Smalser]

That's a neat article on French Polishing. But guitars are precious items easy to examine closely. Your bed is not, and you can take some shortcuts that make French Polish even less time consuming than varnishing brightwork.

http://www.woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl

Go to the Finshes Section here and there's everything you need on brushing and polishing shellac.

No pores to fill in cherry, so after the lye treatment, sand to 320 and brush on two coats of the 2lb cut Bullseye shellac available at paint stores.

Then simply rub it out with 600 grit to remove imperfections, wipe with a tack rag, and French Polish the last couple coats.

You can make a rubber out of a 4"X4" square of old cotton T-short filled with cotton balls. Linseed oil is a good lube...on the back of your headboard, play with your French Polishing technique using fresh shellac you dissolve yourself and varying amounts of linseed for lube and alcohol for thinner until your rubber spit shines the wood like polishing boots.

As minor differences in temperature, humidity and materials make a big difference, there aren't any perfect cut-and-dried formulas....start with what the articles recommend and don't be afraid to play with your mix. When you get the back of the piece to where you are comfortable with technique, then do the front.

Shellac dries fast...you can easily do the whole shebang in a weekend.

[Bruce Taylor]

Nice link, Bob...lots of fun browsing there.


Shellac dries fastYou bet. If I'm in a hurry to get a piece done, I'll usually French polish it, because I can go from bare wood to final finish in one session. It takes a few hours of bench time, but when the job is done it's done and ready to go out the shop door...no waiting around for oil-based pore fillers, no setting things aside to cure, no cutting back, no rubbing down, etc. It's all one process, from beginning to end, and the result is beautiful, durable, reversible & repairable.

On the subject of patinating cherry...consider giving the wood a suntan. Before finishing (but after surface prep), leave the piece out in full sun for a few hours and it will age several years in one afternoon.

[Paul Girouard]

I did a short test and here's the results.
Org. piece of cherry sanded.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/aug2005002.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/cherrytest.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/aug2005001.jpg

One hour of sun . Below.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/onehourofsun.jpg

One coat amber shellac / 2nd coat Maloofs.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b299/PEG688/ambershellac2ndcoatMaloofs.jpg

A little to dark for my taste in cherry and sort of mottled a bit.

The sun tan idea works good , I've read a story on that in FWW , the builder put out the table and the newspaper guy put the NY Times on the table top , sort of ruined the table for a natural finish as no amount of sanding could even the color out.

[ 09-18-2005, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: Paul Girouard ]