PB

"Pierre Boucher"

10/01/2004 8:37 AM

Coffee table: Cherry- how to finish

I hear Cherry can be difficult to finish. Blotching and so on....

I just finished my first piece using Cherry and as usual, the anxieties of
finishing a new piece are once again upon me. I;d like it to be a darker
reddish brown once finished but am worried about blotching . Any suggestion
are greatly appreciated..

Also, I have a 4hp compressor C/H. it pushes out about 4-5 cfm at 40lbs..(i
think). Would this be okay use a HVLP conversion gun so I can spray
lacquer?

Pierre in Ottawa


This topic has 17 replies

Po

"Pounds on Wood"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 8:20 AM

Use a wiping oil of your choice. Minwax Tung Oil Finish works great on
cherry for me, but there are many brands of mostly the same thing. No
blotching, no staining, no worries.

--
Bill Pounds
http://www.bill.pounds.net/woodshop


"Pierre Boucher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I hear Cherry can be difficult to finish. Blotching and so on....
>
> I just finished my first piece using Cherry and as usual, the anxieties of
> finishing a new piece are once again upon me. I;d like it to be a darker
> reddish brown once finished but am worried about blotching . Any
suggestion
> are greatly appreciated..
>
> Also, I have a 4hp compressor C/H. it pushes out about 4-5 cfm at
40lbs..(i
> think). Would this be okay use a HVLP conversion gun so I can spray
> lacquer?
>
> Pierre in Ottawa
>
>

Mm

"Montyhp"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

11/01/2004 7:21 AM

I really like the look of shellac over cherry. I built a desk for my
daughter and finished with BLO and shellac. On the top, I put polyurethane
over the shellac for more durability. The desk has been in her room for two
months and it already has a nice dark patina. I sprayed shellac with a
critter on that project, but since then, my compressor broke (too much
stress from spraying with a pancake compressor) and I have had success with
brushing shellac.

Montyhp


"Pierre Boucher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I hear Cherry can be difficult to finish. Blotching and so on....
>
> I just finished my first piece using Cherry and as usual, the anxieties of
> finishing a new piece are once again upon me. I;d like it to be a darker
> reddish brown once finished but am worried about blotching . Any
suggestion
> are greatly appreciated..
>
> Also, I have a 4hp compressor C/H. it pushes out about 4-5 cfm at
40lbs..(i
> think). Would this be okay use a HVLP conversion gun so I can spray
> lacquer?
>
> Pierre in Ottawa
>
>

PB

"Pierre Boucher"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 9:14 PM

Thanks for all the suggestion folks.....even the shoes vs socks dilemma.

I'm going to keep it natural with some tung oil and then lacquer (i had no
idea i could lacquer over oil)

cheers,



"Pierre Boucher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I hear Cherry can be difficult to finish. Blotching and so on....
>
> I just finished my first piece using Cherry and as usual, the anxieties of
> finishing a new piece are once again upon me. I;d like it to be a darker
> reddish brown once finished but am worried about blotching . Any
suggestion
> are greatly appreciated..
>
> Also, I have a 4hp compressor C/H. it pushes out about 4-5 cfm at
40lbs..(i
> think). Would this be okay use a HVLP conversion gun so I can spray
> lacquer?
>
> Pierre in Ottawa
>
>

Gs

"George"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 11:03 AM

Let's assume you selected the boards for the visible surface so that they
match reasonably in color and figure, and pleasingly if you included
sapwood.

Oil-based finishes of suitable wear resistance are my preference. No
blotching, because no staining.

Oil followed by lacquer second preference. The oil helps the color. Once
again, if you oil two or three times to refusal, color will be even.

If you didn't plan ahead, and want to add color, suggest you limit yourself
to dyes in non-oil, or glazes in oil. Problem with oil stains is the
pigment suspended in them does not penetrate evenly, and can be wiped off
the surface if it doesn't.

Don't put the piece in the sun with something sitting on it, or you'll
develop a light spot under whatever. In my experience, a month in the sun
evens things enough to support doilies or other things thereafter.

I'll leave it to someone who likes it to tell you about hydroxide
degradation.

"Pierre Boucher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I hear Cherry can be difficult to finish. Blotching and so on....
>
> I just finished my first piece using Cherry and as usual, the anxieties of
> finishing a new piece are once again upon me. I;d like it to be a darker
> reddish brown once finished but am worried about blotching . Any
suggestion
> are greatly appreciated..
>
> Also, I have a 4hp compressor C/H. it pushes out about 4-5 cfm at
40lbs..(i
> think). Would this be okay use a HVLP conversion gun so I can spray
> lacquer?
>
> Pierre in Ottawa
>
>

BN

"Bob N"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 7:18 PM

Pierre, cherry will get darker all by itself with a few weeks of exposure to natural
light. So DON'T STAIN IT! Seeing as it's a coffee table that might attract spills, you
might look at Waterlox, a tung-based varnish (my first choice for coffee or dining
tables), or Tried & True Varnish Oil (takes a lot of coats to build but leaves a
beautiful, natural feeling surface), or the Bartley gel poly varnish.

I'll repeat, because this is important: If you don't stain it but give it a good natural
varnish finish, you will be very happy with the color. If you try to stain it, you will
ruin the characteristic look of cherry that makes it such expensive wood in the first
place.


EP

"Edwin Pawlowski"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 7:13 PM


"Lawrence A. Ramsey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
...
> Ed- did you administer politically correct, appropriate corrective
> discipline?

Yes, I whacked their rear with a copy of Dr. Spock's book.
Ed

EP

"Edwin Pawlowski"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 5:33 PM


"Keith Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> How well is an oil finish going to protect on a coffee table? Drinks on
the
> table, feet up on the table, etc, ya know?

Varnish oil would build to a nice protective finish. Coasters, serving
trays, etc. are a must for any nice furniture.

As for feet, I do recall the kids tried it once when they were small. They
never did again.
Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

KC

"Keith Carlson"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 6:52 PM

"Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Keith Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
> > How well is an oil finish going to protect on a coffee table? Drinks on
> the
> > table, feet up on the table, etc, ya know?
>
> Varnish oil would build to a nice protective finish. Coasters, serving
> trays, etc. are a must for any nice furniture.
>
> As for feet, I do recall the kids tried it once when they were small.
They
> never did again.
> Ed
> [email protected]
> http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
>
>
I figured there would be at least one reply on the feet. lol.
Different houses, different rules. Around here stocking feet are okay, never
shoes.

JG

"Jerry Gilreath"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 5:31 PM

Nobody, I mean nobody, puts there feet on anything but the floor or a
footstool around here!

--
"Cartoons don't have any deep meaning.
They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh."
Homer Simpson
Jerry© The Phoneman®
"Keith Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:h0WLb.15930$xy6.38148@attbi_s02...
> "Pounds on Wood" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Use a wiping oil of your choice. Minwax Tung Oil Finish works great on
> > cherry for me, but there are many brands of mostly the same thing. No
> > blotching, no staining, no worries.
> >
> > --
> > Bill Pounds
>
> How well is an oil finish going to protect on a coffee table? Drinks on
the
> table, feet up on the table, etc, ya know?
>
>

EP

"Edwin Pawlowski"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

11/01/2004 3:56 PM


"Pierre Boucher" <[email protected]> wrote in message

> thnks..... what exactly is BLO??? and it is something you mix with the
> shellac?

Boiled Linseed Oil. One of the oldest finishes around. Danish oil is a
similar product that has been partially polymerized. You may want to read
about them on the Tried and True web page
http://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com/danish.htm

Varnish oil build to a little higher gloss and has more water protection
than the oils. I've not done any real testing on that part of the finishes
though.

Oil finishes tend to have a pleasant sheen rather than a high gloss like
shellac. They bring out the grain of the wood and give it a richness of its
own so stains are not needed IMO.
Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome


LA

Lawrence A. Ramsey

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 11:51 AM

Ed- did you administer politically correct, appropriate corrective
discipline?

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 17:33:26 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>"Keith Carlson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> How well is an oil finish going to protect on a coffee table? Drinks on
>the
>> table, feet up on the table, etc, ya know?
>
>Varnish oil would build to a nice protective finish. Coasters, serving
>trays, etc. are a must for any nice furniture.
>
>As for feet, I do recall the kids tried it once when they were small. They
>never did again.
>Ed
>[email protected]
>http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
>

KC

"Keith Carlson"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 4:47 PM

"Pounds on Wood" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Use a wiping oil of your choice. Minwax Tung Oil Finish works great on
> cherry for me, but there are many brands of mostly the same thing. No
> blotching, no staining, no worries.
>
> --
> Bill Pounds

How well is an oil finish going to protect on a coffee table? Drinks on the
table, feet up on the table, etc, ya know?

MM

Mark

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

11/01/2004 12:33 AM

ROFLMAO!!!!

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> "Lawrence A. Ramsey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Ed- did you administer politically correct, appropriate corrective
>>discipline?
>
>
> Yes, I whacked their rear with a copy of Dr. Spock's book.
> Ed
>
>

CR

C

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 11:04 AM

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 08:37:04 -0500, Pierre Boucher wrote:

> I hear Cherry can be difficult to finish. Blotching and so on....
>
> I just finished my first piece using Cherry and as usual, the anxieties of
> finishing a new piece are once again upon me. I;d like it to be a darker
> reddish brown once finished but am worried about blotching . Any suggestion
> are greatly appreciated..
>
> Also, I have a 4hp compressor C/H. it pushes out about 4-5 cfm at 40lbs..(i
> think). Would this be okay use a HVLP conversion gun so I can spray
> lacquer?
>
> Pierre in Ottawa


I've had excellent results with Watco natural penetrating oil. As the
finish ages, it gets better.

CR

C

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 11:06 AM

On Sat, 10 Jan 2004 16:47:09 +0000, Keith Carlson wrote:

> "Pounds on Wood" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Use a wiping oil of your choice. Minwax Tung Oil Finish works great on
>> cherry for me, but there are many brands of mostly the same thing. No
>> blotching, no staining, no worries.
>>
>> --
>> Bill Pounds
>
> How well is an oil finish going to protect on a coffee table? Drinks on the
> table, feet up on the table, etc, ya know?

Make coasters and hand them out.

Put on several coats of oil.
Sanding and reoiling will remove watermarks.

EP

"Edwin Pawlowski"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

10/01/2004 7:15 PM


"Keith Carlson"
> I figured there would be at least one reply on the feet. lol.
> Different houses, different rules. Around here stocking feet are okay,
never
> shoes.

Don't you get lint from the stockings in the bowl of dip or popcorn?

Your house, your rules.

PB

"Pierre Boucher"

in reply to "Pierre Boucher" on 10/01/2004 8:37 AM

11/01/2004 8:39 AM

thnks..... what exactly is BLO??? and it is something you mix with the
shellac?

"Pierre Boucher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I hear Cherry can be difficult to finish. Blotching and so on....
>
> I just finished my first piece using Cherry and as usual, the anxieties of
> finishing a new piece are once again upon me. I;d like it to be a darker
> reddish brown once finished but am worried about blotching . Any
suggestion
> are greatly appreciated..
>
> Also, I have a 4hp compressor C/H. it pushes out about 4-5 cfm at
40lbs..(i
> think). Would this be okay use a HVLP conversion gun so I can spray
> lacquer?
>
> Pierre in Ottawa
>
>


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