Finishing Question

[Peter Gavin]

On Sunday's NYW Norm used a 'Five Step Process' ( I think he called it) to finish his Bahamian Chest: Stain, Shellac, Paste Wood Filler, Wipe on Poly. Obviously I am missing one of the steps and am not sure about the Paste Wood Filler step. Can anyone fill me in on the uncertainties above? Also, I have finished staining some Red Oak nightstands and have achieved the basic color I want, but would like to mute the color a little bit (give it more of an aged patina look). What step would be best to adjust this coloring in? Use a different color stain? Use an amber (but I would prefer a darker) shellac? Use a colored Paste Wood Filler (if that is what Norm used)? Or another idea.

Thanks

Peter

[Doug Shepard]

The step you're missing is a Gel Stain application. It was either right before or right after the Paste Wood Filler (after I think?). You're right on his use of the PW Filler though. And FWIW the shellac was dewaxed. Can't remember for sure what he used on his first staining step or even if it was dye instead of stain.

[Paul Dwight]

Paste wood fillers are used to fill the pores of open-grain woods like mahogany and oak. If you put a topcoat on mahogany or oak without filling the pores first, the film of the finish will dip down into all of the open pores, yielding a shiney surface with lots of tiny dimples. Using a paste wood filler lets you get a flat film of finish without all the dimples. The difference is purely in what kind of a look you're trying to achieve.

You would apply the paste wood filler after the wood is stained. The filler is usually tinted to match the "background" color of the stained wood. However, some Arts & Crafts-style finishes for oak use a dark colored pore filler to purposely draw attention to the pores.

Paste wood filler is available either as an oil-based or as a water-based product. Behlen's Pore-O-Pac is an example of an oil-based grain filler. I've tried a waterbased filler and have pretty much decided to stick with the oil-based stuff. The waterbased filler I used shrank a little as it dried, which meant I had to fill the pores twice. The waterbased stuff also dried so quickly that it was a real challenge staying ahead of it. (If it dries before you've removed the excess, you have to sand it off.)

I usually apply oil-based paste wood fillers with a cheap, throw-away bristle brush, working both with the grain and against the grain, and kind of scrubbing at the wood to work the filler into the pores. Once the wet filler has lost its sheen, it's time to start removing the excess. I like to use an old credit card as a scraper and scrape across the grain, removing the excess from the surface of the wood but leaving the filler in the pores. After scraping, I wipe the wood carefully with a coarse rag, trying hard not to pull the filler up out of the pores. I let the filler dry for a couple of days before applying a topcoat.

About your existing red oak piece to which you want to add a bit of a patina: It sounds like a job for a glaze. Gel stains make decent glazes. I would probably seal the wood first with dewaxed shellac (Zinsser SealCoat) and then wipe on a gel stain. Once the stain is applied to a section, take a clean rag and wipe some off until you get the look you're after. The gel stain will naturally be thicker in the corners, which helps give the piece an aged look. If you don't like your results, you can just wipe the whole mess off and start over (which is why I recommend sealing the wood with shellac first).

Hope this helps. -- Paul

[Peter Gavin]

Paul,

Thanks for the advice. I guess I better start practicing on some scrap before I go whole hog on my project....... SWMBO would hate it if this project was delayed any longer.

Peter