Quick finish for lacewood

[Andrew Nemeth]

Anybody have a recommendation for a finish that can be applied in a day or two (read: Christmas eve day) for lacewood that will still accentuate the character in the wood. I will be applying it by brush or wipe on (or spraycan) to a small jewelery box. I know a lot of people use BLO but I don't think it will dry in time even if I get the BLO on tomorrow by noon.

Thanks for any help,

Andrew

[Tim Sproul]

shellac. Put on a darker shellac like garnet for the first several coats, sanding back to flat but leaving the shellac between the ray and fleck. Once that is even and smooth, apply a blonde to platinum shellac for an even sheen on the whole surface.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Go With Tim's advise. With shellac you will get a finish which really pops the grain and even more importantly a very quick buildup. I would put on one or two thick coats with a brush for quick build, an hour between coats should be fine. Let it harden up a bit overnight and then sand it level with a sanding block and some 220 or 320 grit. Wipe off the swarf with mineral spirits and in about 10 minutes you should be able to start padding or brushing on a thin carefully applied coat. With thin coats, you should be able to lay on at least 2-3 coats per hour. Before you apply the final coat, lightly sand or use a gray abrasive pad to level the finish and remove any drips, runs, or dust nibs. Very carefull pad on a final coat and let it rest 24 hours. Rub out with 0000 steel wool and paste wax.

Please note a couple of things Andrew. The whole process detailed above can be done in 2-3 days depending on your timing. It's possible to get an acceptable finish for Christmas display of the present with just a few coats and a quick rub out with the steel wool and wax-- then buff. Since it's shellac, you can use mineral spirits at a later date to remove the wax and then add more coats for a nicer finish.

[Jim Becker]

Yup...shellac. And if you want, you can put a light application of BLO on first and coat with shellac a few hours later. Jeff Jewitt illustrated that in a Fine Woodworking article not long ago. I've tried the technique and it was successful.