Re: Need advice on wood finishing

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@y..., "David Goodfellow" <davegood@g...> wrote:

> Hi!
>
> But I have no experience at all in wood finishing. The board is of

oak, and

> I plan to put a dark stain on it to contrast with the brass storage

pocket

> lid. And here (finally) are my questions:
>
> 1. What stain would you recommend?
> 2. What about sanding? Before or after staining, or both?
> 3. What about final finish? I was thinking of a clear

poly-whatchmacallit

Well poly whatever you call it can be tricky to work with, so can
straight varnish I'd suggest you give Formby's tung oil a look at.
Formby's tung oil is a mix of tung oil and varnish, that you
wipe on with a rag. It hardens into a finish. Straight tung oil
really doesn't.

It's super easy to achieve a decent finish with it. Use fine
steel wool between coats when your piece is dry about 000 or 0000.
Blow out little steel fuzzies before new coat.

As far as a dark color on oak goes Minwax special walnut is OK. Get
one of those disposable foam brushes for applying the stain with.
They work good for doing that. Let your piece stand for a bit, then
rub off the excess stain with rags.

Before you apply any finish it's good to rub the piece with mineral
spirits and check it while it's wet in the light for any trouble
spots. Then use fine sandpaper and knock down the raised grain.
About 320 grit.

More advice wear disposable nitrile gloves while working with
finishing products. They can be a bit messy.

And finally, experiment with any finish you are unfamiliar with on
scrap wood first. I'd never subject a project I spent any time on to
an untested process. Oak is rather porous so your first finish coat
will have air in it. Second coat things will go a lot better when the
pores get closed up.