Wood finish

[fireman]

I know this relates to a chip amp but for some reason, I felt that I would reach more people that have experience in wood finish in this forum. So here we go ! I am putting the last touches on my GC amp. The face plate of my amp will be made of solid curly maple that is 17.5" long X 3" wide and 0.75" thick.

I want to finish the wood so that people can appreciate it's rich texture to the fullest. I've got a beautiful piece of lumber and I'd really like to show it off. What product should I use ? Polyurethane, shellac, wax, oil ?

[Josephjcole]

For a kind of natural look I really like Tung oil. It is easy to apply, hard to mess up, and leaves wood looking like wood. It slightly enriches the grain and texture, but is not too glossy. It will also help protect your wood from water and other evils.
Joe

[Jean]

Can tung oil be used on any veneer ? And what is the best finish to use on tung oil ?

[nonamekid]

I like french polish for lots of things. I use Moser's Garnet lac - dark but clear and with low wax content. I use grain alchohol as the solvent which I prefer over rubbing or denatured by far. It makes a very user-friendly finish. Though I have french polished large case pieces like chest-on-chests and chests of drawers, it also excels on small pieces. I've used it on antique string instruments and speaker cabinets and stands as well. Shellac is really nice on figured maple. If you prefer less color use super-blonde. You can either bring up a high polish straight off the pad or rub it out with compound or even steel wool. Just take the gloss off evenly, then wax with a good carnauba based wax of some kind for a mellower luster. Not as tough as eurathane, but very easy to repair scratches.

[Sherman]

I second the vote for Tung Oil. Put on properly it gives a perfectly smooth finish with a depth that is hard to match with other finishes.

There are a few things to remember about using Tung Oil that help get a really nice finish:

* Tung Oil takes time and it can't be rushed. Figure a minimum of three days. If you don't have that much time consider using something else.

* To get a good finish with Tung Oil you must apply at least two coats and you must wait 24 hours between coats and 24 hours after the last coat before putting the item to use.

* Tung Oil can be brushed on or wiped on with a lint-free cloth. I prefer the cloth. Apply it generously and then let it sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes buff it with a clean lint-free cloth (not the same one you used to apply it). Buff it vigorously in the direction of the grain until it is no longer tacky or sticky. Put it aside for 24 hours and repeat.

* If you have the time apply three coats.

* Tung Oil can be applied over most stains or on bare wood.

[Jean]

The reason I asked, and I don't mean to hi-jack this thread, is because I am in the middle of finally finishing my speakers and currently picking veneer and what stain to use etc.

Maybe we could post some pictures of different veneer stained with tung oil or shelac ?

[Vikash]

some pictures of different veneer stained with tung oil or shelac ?

Beech finished with danish oil - applied more or less as as described by Sherman. It's near impossible to mess up and results in a deep lustre finish to highlight natural beauty in wood. A bit smelly though.

Before
After

[bbm3]

Originally posted by Jean
The reason I asked, and I don't mean to hi-jack this thread, is because I am in the middle of finally finishing my speakers and currently picking veneer and what stain to use etc.

Maybe we could post some pictures of different veneer stained with tung oil or shelac ?

I just posted a pic of my first project Here

I used three coats of rubbed tung oil over cherry.
The nice thing about tung oil (and other finishes) is that you can easily knockdown the gloss by hitting it with some 400+ grit sandpaper once it is completely dry and you can always bring the gloss back by applying another coat.

[moses]

A nice coat of amber shellac is always great, and really brings out the depth of the figure in wood, like in curly maple. A base coat of shellac followed by a coat of a paste finishing wax, progessively wet-sanded up to about 800+ grit makes for a impressive finish. The shellac base coat brings out the depth really well, and the sanded/buffed paste wax makes for a finish as smooth as glass but without a lot of shine.

[amisdad]

There are many great solutions listed here. I must make a suggestion of my own. I used to hand rub and wax my finished pieces until about a year ago. I saw the most luxurious finish on a rocking chair that was priced at $10,000. I asked the guy who made the chair what kind of finish he used and he said it was "sam maloof". While shopping at my local Rockler, I found sam maloof on the shelf, it's a poly/oil finish that couldn't be easier to use. It's satin-like sheen makes your wood come to life. It has poly in it so that you should also be protected from dampness and weather. I have pieces that were finished with only one coat of sam maloof and still look great a year later and I usually use 4 coats. All the boxes and things that were hand rubbed and waxed or oiled need attention every so often which gets old. I'm slowly re-finishing everything with sam maloof. It works great!