Question for the oldest Creeker

[Leigh Betsch]

I would like to find the oldest Creeker. I have a question that I will only trust someone with wisdom to answer. "What finish would you use on curly cherry?" Anyone under 60 just sit back and listen. I'm still a pup at 50.

[David DeCristoforo]

Don't look at me.....

PS Age = Wisdom? Not always.....

[Mike Henderson]

I agree with David. The best finisher I know is a bit under 50.

I fit your desired age group but don't know that much about finishing.

Mike

[Larry Prince]

I would like to find the oldest Creeker. I have a question that I will only trust someone with wisdom to answer. "What finish would you use on curly cherry?" Anyone under 60 just sit back and listen. I'm still a pup at 50.

Wisdom? .....Well. I don't know about that but at 68yrs old I guess I qualify in the age category.

Anyway. I've had superlative results using a first coat of Watco Cherry Danish Oil, followed by several coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. (shake the Watco up real good to get the color to mix right)

The oil will pop the grain and deepen the red color, while the Arm-R-Seal provides the protection of polyurethane without looking plastic-y.

In the end, using the oil may result in too much darkening but the oldest piece I have with this finish is only 2yrs so its too soon to tell.

I find 4 coats of Arm-R-Seal to be the minimum, with 6 being just about right. The stuff is dead easy to apply, just remember to get those rags out of the shop at the end of the session.

I'm doing a set of kitchen cabs right now that are white with cherry accents (door & drawer frames) and it looks very nice if I do say so myself. Not so much white that it should be in a hospital, but not so much dark that it sucks the light out of the room.

A couple of test pieces will quickly tell you if this method is to your taste.

[Bob Noles]

This sounds like a job for "HOWIE"

[Joe Chritz]

Wise man once told me "Wisdom comes from experience, which comes from bad judgment."

I should be just the man but alas I I can offer is BLO, waterlox or BLO, shellac, USL so I defer to the masters.

Joe

[Larry Fox]

Isn't Jeff Jewitt just a little over 50 - would you trust him to render advise here?

At 41 I am way under qualified in both your age and experience categories.

[Gene E Miller]

Greetings & Salutations,

I just barely qualify as I am just 61 and not sure just how wise
I am but here goes.

I am extremely partial to natural finishes and with cherry as
most know it will darken on its own with age.

I use Cell-A-Seal the about 5 or 6 coats of Arm-R-Seal
from General Finishes.

Using this brings out the natural beauty of the wood to me
and also makes the wood sparkle in my eyes with a nice
protective surface and then I just set back and admire and
usually find all of the little flaws in my work.

But with finishes everyone has their own favorite and this
just happens to be mine.

Gene

[Gary Lange]

Well I am 63 but I don't figure I would know anything as I am just starting on this stuff. I suspect that some of the younger Guys or Gals may be able to answer a woodworking question better then us old duffers.

[Bill Roland]

Well in some peoples eyes @ 64 I am old so I will give my opinion. I used the lightest shellac I could find and covered that with wax on this entertainment center and it turned out great in my old eyes. It darkened nicely over the the last 6 years.

[Craig D Peltier]

Maybe Leigh would find a better fit over at www oldwoodworkers com Seems to me that he/she thinks that age is wisdom not experience.

[David DeCristoforo]

Waal sonny... looks like you might want to broaden your scope a bit here hey? The "best" answer just might not come from the oldest geezer... hummm ...imagine that! So let me offer you MHO in spite of the fact that I am not the oldest creeker (as if that should make a difference). Whenever I need "the best" natural finish, I make up an oil/varnish mix. This finish has all of the "silky smooth" qualities of a fine oil finish combined with the toughness and durability of varnish. It can produce a "satin sheen" or a high polish depending on how it is applied. And it will make the wood figure explode. There a number of "recipes" and methods for this finish many of which can be found on the 'net. If anyone's interested, I would be happy to post my own version.

Oh and Craig I believe "oldgeezers.com" is a better site. Also check out "oldfarts.com"

Walter Brennan

[walter stellwagen]

I am 78 and a half and I agree --oil varnish.

Walt

[Per Swenson]

This is why I love SMC.

Not one indignant whipersnapper.

I attempted to wake my very own old geezer,

see if he could fathom a worthy answer in the depths

of his 84 years. OK 83.

He said, "Tell em I'll get back to him"

Then he said " You answer him"

Told him I couldn't.

So long story short....

As soon as he gets done auctioning all the neighborhood kid's balls

he found this week on the lawn, he will get right back to you.

Frankly I think he is just kidding.

Per

[Leigh Betsch]

Thanks for the input. My thoughts on asking the question the way I did was to just have some fun, and hear what has worked for over the long haul. With the way cherry changes over time I thought that someone that has been around a few years would know how their finish lasts. I fully understand that the "best" finisher is likey under 60 and the best answer might not even get posted but just asking "What's your best cherry finish" sounded kinda boring to me.