Wet sanding without darkening the wood too much....what finish?

[Roger Chandler]

I am in process with a large ambrosia maple bowl.......it has some nice ambrosia figure and some pinkish hue to it. I kind of like this feature and want to preserve what I can. I know I need to wet sand this, because some of the end grain is really a bear, so I thought I would run this up the flagpole for the collective wisdom of the group here.

Is there an oil finish that will not darken the wood much? I have Mahoney's Walnut oil on hand, and some tung oil and antique oil, which is a bit dated and darker than a new can would be. I would like it to have a nice luster but not plastic looking finish in the end, so if you have any ideas to help me achieve this end result, I would appreciate your input.........thanks in advance!

Also, what about buffing? Would you do it after the oil finish dries, or perhaps even buff the bare wood before finish?

[Brian Brown]

Im not sure if this answers your question, but try sanding with mineral spirits rather than an oil finish. It will evaporate, and will change the color very little if any. It lubricates and works well for wet sanding, but you may have to refresh it more often.

[Marvin Hasenak]

Either Benmattes Tung Oil or Daly's Seafin Teak Oil, one is pretty clear, but for the life of me I cannot remember which one is the clearest in color. I have used both on maple turnings. I checked the Daly's website, but it is down for maintenance, they are the makers of both of them. You might try calling them tomorrow and ask. 1-800-735-7019

It will take a few coats to get a nice shine, I usually did about 5 coats with a light sand between coats with 1200 and 2000 grit paper. Both were my some of my favorite finishes, but I got tired of having to pay exorbitant freight charges. So I went back to Watco Teak oil and it WILL DARKEN your wood.

[Reed Gray]

You can use water for a lubricant as well. Not sure about the finish other than a surface type rather than a penetrating oil.

robo hippy

[Bruce Pratt]

+1 on water, alcohol or mineral spirits for sanding. For finish, particularly on lighter wood like maple, Bradford pear, etc., I have been using GF water-based polyacrylics, gloss, or semi-gloss, depending on how much shine I want. They do a good job on highlighting grain and color, and are water clear when dry (it is a white emulsion in the can).

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Roger,
Try water as mentioned but use foam backed abrasives. Woodcraft has them. I use them for all my once unseasoned once turned burl projects. They cut well and last quite long. Unfortunately, I don't think they will stand up to the rigors of machine sanding.
faust

[Brian Brown]

Water certainly wouldn't smell as bad as Mineral spirits. If you sand with water, how long do you have to wait for it to dry after sanding before you can re-sand the raised grain, and apply finish?

[Prashun Patel]

Mineral spirits doesn't smell.

Both would be fine.

Although, I'm not convinced you'll need to wet sand. Why not just dry sand up to 600 or 1000?

[John Keeton]

I use mineral spirits quite often to wet sand. Although I do not have a sense of smell, I understand that MS has considerably less odor than paint thinner, which is what I think most folks have in mind when one speaks of MS. They are two different animals - closely related, but different.

As to an oil finish, I believe the lightest color comes from the polymerized tung oil - the pure stuff, and it ain't cheap! Leo uses it a lot on his turnings.

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks everyone for your replies.........I have some oderless mineral spirits on hand....about 1/3 gallon. I have some Minwax tung oil in the yellow can......had it for a couple of years, so I might just need to run to the hardware and get a fresh can.

I appreciate the information! I am thinking about ordering some Doctors woodshop walnut oil........from what I have heard from a couple of members at our local club, it is lighter/clearer in color than Mahoney's. On most things I don't really care, but the pinkish hue on this wood is something I want to preserve if possible.

[Bruce Pratt]

The pink will probably fade, particularly if it is the red color produced in response to the beetle injury. ..... Not to beat a dead horse, but the GF polyacrylic has UV blockers, which may prolong the life of the pink color in the wood.

[John Keeton]

I have some Minwax tung oil in the yellow can......had it for a couple of years, so I might just need to run to the hardware and get a fresh can.

Roger, Minwax "tung oil" is not tung oil, and from information provided in the Finishing Forum over the years, apparently has little or no tung oil in it.

Check this post from Howard Acheson, a well informed creeker - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...442#post262442

[Hayes Rutherford]

I would stay away from any kind of wet sanding since fine particles in solution get re distributed. Probably seal it with blond dewaxed shellac sanding sealer especially if there is problem end grain.

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, Minwax "tung oil" is not tung oil, and from information provided in the Finishing Forum over the years, apparently has little or no tung oil in it.

Check this post from Howard Acheson, a well informed creeker - http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...442#post262442

Ooooh.......did not know that! Thanks John!

[Roger Chandler]

I would stay away from any kind of wet sanding since fine particles in solution get re distributed. Probably seal it with blond dewaxed shellac sanding sealer especially if there is problem end grain.

I did do some wet sanding as mentioned above, and now it has 2 coats of dewaxed blonde shellac on it. Will let it dry tonight and do a coupe of passes with 320 grit and 400 grit tomorrow........then some finish on it.......not sure yet which one, but maybe Mahoney's since I have it on hand now.