Hi All,
I build random furniture (tables, desks, lamps) and really would like to settle on a finish.
Lately I've been using tung oil or BLO as a 'pop' finish and then I cover it with Shellac (either sprayed on hvlp or french polished). I like the oil pop and love working with Shellac because it dries so quickly and is pretty...
but, those lots of coats take lots of time and I always have to sand the shellac fairly seriously and do 2 (usually 3) reapplications. Everyone who comes to visit always does the finger test (run finger along top - is it really smooth?) and shellac tends to fail unless I french polish really carefully.
Anyway, I'm looking for a better (easier) finish that produces long-lasting results and is still pretty easy to repair like shellac or so hard that it doesn't need repairing. I prefer a gloss or satin. Shellac with a more foolproof (smooth) method would ok.
Things I've used:
1) BLO/varnish mixture
2) Tung Oil alone
3) Shellac alone (all kinds of colors)
4) oil/shellac coats
5) Target poly (wiped on, brushed on, sprayed on - your choice)
I'm starting to think about lacquers.
Anyone have strong opinions?
I've include a couple of examples. The bird table is cherry, the side table is maple/mahogany.
Thanks,
Mark
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