Clear finish for curly maple???

[Randy Gazda]

I am looking for the preferred finish to make curly maple "pop"? I am using curly maple for the panels in a blanket chest. I would normally use either brush on poly or spray on lacquer.

[Kenneth Speed]

Ummm... so you want a clear finish to accent the grain in curly maple? I think I'm"cheating" a little but I guess I'd try a blend of fairly pale and orange or garnet shellac and then topcoat it with something other than lacquer. I really think you have to introduce at least some color to figured wood to pop the figure.

[John Coloccia]

How much do you want it to pop? Just a little? Put some BLO on it, or maybe an orange shellac, and then topcoat. Want a lot? Flood it with a dark DYE (not stain, dye), and then sand it back so the color is only in the curl. Then topcoat it. Want in between? Tint some shellac with dark dye (like transtint), put that on and then sand it back. Then topcoat.

[Mike Shields]

The Wood Whisperer did an excellent video on exactly what you are trying to do.

Should be easy to find by searching "popping the grain".

[sheldon pettit]

A very diluted solution of ferrous sulfate will darken the interlocking grain so that the face grain and other will appear more 3 dimensional. approx. 1/64 oz. of FS to a qt of distilled water. After the coat dries it can be sanded off the light portion of the wood and re-applied a few more times if the contrast is not to your likening with the first coat. Of course if you want color, the dyes or pigments will do that without the aid of chemical treatment, again you can always sand the dye/pigment off the face grain and it will stay in the interlocking grain if you want the least amount of color. .

[Prashun Patel]

I am partial sanding to 400 and then going straight to oil based topcoat, but if you prefer a more intricate solution, then on FWW's site, Jeff Jewitt wrote a great article about using a combination of dye and oil to max the curl. Google: "Pop the Curl on Curly Maple"

http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2577

[Bob Wingard]

FWW link is for "MEMBER'S ONLY"

[Conrad Fiore]

Here is a link to the Homestead Finishing website that has a very sinilar instruction by Jeff Jewitt. http://www.homesteadfinishingproduct...cs/eamaple.htm

[sheldon pettit]

""FINISHING : NO ART & VERY LITTLE SCIENCE ... just a learned skill that requires a bit of practice and patience ... anyone can learn it.""



I disagree with the artistic part not being true. Many may be able to come up with a close look or color or affect if they have something to go by, but when your "creating" a new finish[s], it is truly "art". No less that than a painting or sculpture would be. Again science may not be necessary to perform the work to any degree, proof of that is in the days before the arts were a science. But there is no one who does not have to have at least a basic concept or understanding of how their products work to enable them to achieve success with their work. God help the wood finisher or even home owner that doesn't read the labels and follow directions for all the products he uses. Better still to know why things work the way they do and all the ways which it can be manipulated for the work at hand.

As a chemist, my understanding has to be empirical of what and how things both work, apply, and react under any conditions they may be intended or used for or on. Further, i have to know the products on a molecular level and and why one is more suited for a purpose than another as well as the compatibility and tolerance issues of additional solvents/resins/additives, etc., in order to end up with a good usable end product. The end users counts on that and us to make it happen so that in the end he has as little problems with applications as possible.

Necessary? Maybe not, you can always go back to the old ways.

"those who learn most, learn best"

Sincerely,

Chemmy