"Maloof Finish" and epoxy filled mesquite

[Stuart Welsh]

As part of a kitchen remodel I am using Mesquite for a large kitchen island, some niche mounted shelves and a small top for a pony wall. Because of the size of the island top (96" by 54") I opted to have that made and finished by a craftsman the specializes in Mesquite countertops. Seeking a finish that added to the character of the island (a reclaimed furniture look) as well as something that can easily be repaired (water rings, scuffs) the craftsman and I decided on a finish of equal part of tung Oil (Woodcraft brand), oil based poly (satin), and paint thinner. He informed me that this is a finish Sam Maloof uses and I'm very happy with the finish which he says he gave his standard 6-8 coats. It looks like the top was made years ago. I'll be using this mix for the other components I am making, the niche shelves and the pony wall top.

Here are my questions/issues..

Unless using the most pristine (and expensive) Mesquite one must of course fill voids and checks with epoxy. When using a finish that sits on top of the wood the absorbency of the wood versus epoxy is not an issue, the level of sheen is the same. With this finish the epoxy which has been sanded (or planed) flat does not take the "Maloof" so it remains dull. If I had the precision of a surgeon using a robotic scalpel I guess I could hit only the epoxy with some really fine sandpaper and achieve the same level of gloss as the finish but that is just folly. What we discussed and he agreed would work would be simply rubbing a good carnuba based past wax such as the Staples brand at Woodcraft into the top with 0000 steel wool and the buffing with a cloth. I've tested this on scrap and while I like the sheen and it does give equal sheen to both the wood and epoxy, the surface is so large I fear I'll have swirl marks like a bad wax job on the hood of a 67 sedan.

Then I started researching the Maloof finish on this forum and found this thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...nish&p=1717414 . Good information but as I had no issue with the finish on my island top I still needed help with the epoxy vs wood issue. On a different forum I discovered a quote attributed to Sam M... "Then I make a batch of finish that is half linseed oil and half tung oil with some shredded beeswax mixed in. I put two coats of that finish on, and the chair's finished, ready to be used." That has thrown me for a loop (or could I say a Maloop?). How much bees wax? Does the wax melt in the oil or does it need to be heated? What does he do between the two coats?

Can anyone address this?

[Prashun Patel]

Hi Stuart. If your goal is to make the epoxy and table a uniform sheen, then I suggest the following:

Don't bother with wax. It wears off, can leave rings when it gets wet, and should be cleaned off if you want to reapply your maloof finish next year. And on large surfaces, it can leave some swirls in light. I appreciate its use to hide some surface imperfections, but not here (for my money).

Instead, I would either just live with the sheen difference (it is my experience that in time, the sheen all evens out miraculously. I think this is just natural rubbing out and curing.)

If the difference is too jarring, and you really want to do something then wetsand the entire top - epoxy and wood - with 600 grit. You're not going for removal down to wood; you're going for burnishing/polishing, and smoothing the entire surface to the touch. The epoxy will normally shine up even with an oil/varnish. I suspect your epoxy is not shiny because it hasn't been smoothed sufficiently.

Contrary to popular advice, it has been my experience that sanding up to 600 grit is not a waste of time for most finishes, and does not affect the look, penetration, or adhesion of most finishes - at least in any practical way that I can see. On the contrary, doing so tends to smooth out porosity variations and epoxy so even your thin coats go on with consistent sheen.

[Stuart Welsh]

...If the difference is too jarring, and you really want to do something then wetsand the entire top - epoxy and wood - with 600 grit. You're not going for removal down to wood; you're going for burnishing/polishing, and smoothing the entire surface to the touch. The epoxy will normally shine up even with an oil/varnish. I suspect your epoxy is not shiny because it hasn't been smoothed sufficiently.

Contrary to popular advice, it has been my experience that sanding up to 600 grit is not a waste of time for most finishes, and does not affect the look, penetration, or adhesion of most finishes - at least in any practical way that I can see. On the contrary, doing so tends to smooth out porosity variations and epoxy so even your thin coats go on with consistent sheen.

Thanks Prashun.

The top was sanded to 320 prior to the coats of finish applied so that is all the smoothing the epoxy received. Do I need to go through all the grits between 320 and 600 or should I go directly to 600? Should I wet sand with the finish mixture itself?

Thanks again, this solution will serve me well on the components I am manufacturing myself.

Stuart

[Prashun Patel]

If 320 didn't do it for you, I'm a little less confident that 600 is going to be much better...

I wouldn't go nuts. Try going straight to 600 without intermediate grits.

I am surprised that the sheen difference is significant between the epoxy and the wood at 320.

[Stuart Welsh]

Thanks Prashun,

I took it to 320 and will see how that works. Once I have what looks like a good number of coats on I'll take it inside and see how it looks in the installation location.

Here is a new wrinkle. The pony wall top (62 x 12) required a good deal of work, excavating bad wood, prepping cracks, sanding and filling with epoxy. I fear that the learning curve here is that I may have started with a piece of wood that should have been left at the supplier. I have discovered that areas of grain are a bit more open than I could detect prior to putting the Maloof type finish on. There are grainy 1/2mm voids that were overlooked and this finish will never fill them. They keep sucking that stuff up, drawing it into the thickness of the board.

What can I do? Is there an oil based product I can fill with between coats? It needs to be clear too. Even the tighter grain in parts turns out to be the precursor to decay so it is not sealing up as well as the healthy wood. The piece looks really interesting right now, striking if you will and I hate to give up on it. $150 price tag aside and the work I've got invested I just don't want to start over if remedies are available.

The Mesquite guy who built the island top told me today that when he encounters an area with open grain like this he floods it with super glue and then sands it. Too late for that.

Wax comes to mind as a help for the more porous grain. It may not fill the tiny voids but practice on a scrap shows promise for making the slightly open grain blend with the hard stuff. Prashun, I know you discouraged the wax earlier in this post and I brought it up with the Mesquite guy. He didn't seem fazed by the prospect of removing wax to repair the Maloof finish. He's done it before with success and not too much work.

Any suggestions would be great.

Stuart

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