Does anybody know how to get this finish?

[mwmkravchenko]

Yep laquer over oil is a big time no no!

Time for the compliments.

Nice box!
Got the colour you wanted!

Oil will give you a nice finish.
You might try sanding a sample with wet oil and 400 grit paper to see what type of a reaction you get. You may like the finish a bit more. May fill in the grain and also strip off some of the dye to give you more of the original effect of dyed and raw wood grain swirling around.

Wish I could see it in person!

Mark

[classd4sure]

http://www.sawdustmaking.com/Finishing/finishing.html

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/ez...54/qapop2.html

Since you oiled it already, maybe a sanding and wipe down with alchohol will prep it for another dye. They seem to recommend two colors of dye to get the cat's eye finish. Then you can go straight to the lacquer or shallac to get the final tint and depth. I would skip the oil just because it is not a very durable finish.

Once you've got that done I would go for a many about 7 coats of clear, of a variety that will not add any further yellowing.

Frog juice is such a clear, I'm sure there are others, water based or polyurethane ones are said to be such a clear. I've worked with frog juice before and it requires thinning, it also dries insanely fast, a little practise with it will go a long way. It's good stuff though.

By the time you're done wetsanding that it should have a glass like finish, be very careful while wetsanding near edges, it's easy to go too far with it.

At this point I'd figure out your game plan though, decide on products that can work together towards your final finish, and experiment on scrap until you find the right combination.

If you rush it any further you may ruin it.

[wrl]

The only problem I've experienced is that the plaster doesn't penetrate very deeply into the wood, so if I sand after plaster, I get a very grainy appearance in the previously dark areas.

I think that treating with a yellow or amber dye after I fill with the dark plaster might work and be a good alternative to oil. I'll order some and give it a shot.

I just wish I had more time to get a good result. I really only have a month left to finish so I can't spend too much more time messing around trying to decide a finish...

-Wes

[classd4sure]

I just wish I had more time to get a good result. I really only have a month left to finish so I can't spend too much more time messing around trying to decide a finish...

Yeah the two dye scheme seems to make sense

The shallac will darken things further but you may also be able to go straight to a pure clear.

I'd just make sure all your products will be compatible from this point on.

One idea to speed things up might be to use a heat gun on your test pieces. It might buble or whatever but who cares, it's just to let you see how the coating/layering will look without having to wait.

Hope it works out for ya.

[John Walker]

I've done a bit of woodworking with shelac and urathanes over top.

My best recommendation is to get Zinser "seal-coat" which is a 99% wax free shelac. Some of the "waxy" stuff prevents the urathane from bonding 100% to the surface. This is more important with tables and countertops but if I had a choice I would always use the de-waxed stuff.

John

[wrl]

ya,

I've been using the sealcoat (when I've been saying shellac).

Do you have any idea of the shelf life of this stuff? Mine is about a year old now and it doesn't seem to look as good as I remember once applied.

I ordered a new quart just in case.

-Wes

[John Walker]

I think an unopened can is only good for about a year. If its been opened and exposed to the air/moisture its probably no good.

John

[wrl]

Well this is the closest I can get (after several years of on and off working). Thanks for everyone's help as I couldn't have done it without this forum.

First was a plaster of paris and black analyne dye pore filling followed by boiled lynseed oil. Then several coats of shellac followed by numerous coats of laquer. For the pore filling I actually wiped it off with a damp cloth before it dried rather than sanding after drying.

I wanted to get the glossy "piano" finish, but it was just too hard with a brush and I got too frustrated. Its actually a bit more uniform than it appears, but its hard to capture with the camera.

By the way... the rest of the system is posted here:

System Pictures & Description

[mwmkravchenko]

Wes a project to be proud of.

Mark

[MJL21193]

Nice work, BUT...

This could have been done much cheaper, easier, faster and more consistently with three paint colours and spray equipment.

On a SMOOTH base, spray consecutive layers of each colour over and over again. Let dry, then sand through the layers with a random orbit sander to get the desired "grain" pattern.

Clear coat and you're done.