Finishing Walnut

[cburbs]

I have some cabinets being built for me -

Here are a few shots of the speakers...I don't have them in hand yet






Here are some stained samples of the veneer I did today.

1 coat Brown Mahogany



1 coat Medium Brown



1 coat Java



Left to right - Watco Medium Walnut, Dark Walnut, Black Walnut all one coat.




I have looked at this Post for some info and I have the PDF called Sealing, Staining and Filling that I found somewhere on here.

Any hints/tips when finishing walnut as this is my 1st time doing this.

[Johnloudb]

I don't have any tips. But my plan is to use linseed oil and then put on a clear semi-gloss polyurethane over that. I just want the natural color for my walnut veneer, with no stain.

But, I have never done this either so I'll be following this thread.

[baniels]

I used Maloof Poly/Oil on a black walnut snare drum some years ago. I really like the result. Very natural look and feel. Pictures here... http://www.ghostnote.net/vbforum/showthread.php?t=24787

Stuff can be found here at rockler... http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2004

[cburbs]

This may be a silly question but what is the reason for shellac?

So say one was to go this route -
1) coat with Oil
2) Coat with Shellac
3) Coat with topcoat of Wipe-On Polyurethane

[blue934]

i just finished some walnut veneered speakers for a friend and we tried clear poly and shellac on test strips. the shellac had much more life to it. the grain really popped compared to to the poly. 5 coats gave a rich dark tone similar to your last sample. what did you use on the third (darkest) sample?

if you want a gloss finish use poly or multiple shellac coats, if you want a natural wood finish use 1-2 coats shellac.

david

[cburbs]

The third one was Java by General Finish a gel stain. I don't like that one. Takes away from the natural look of the wood.

Which Shellac did you use?

So is that all you used on the speaker 5 coats of shellac?

I don't want it dull like they look now......

[blue934]

i will check the brand of shellac on monday when i'm back in the shop.
the dull natural finish (which many desire) goes away after 2 coats. 5 gave me a very smooth glossy finish (some would call it plasticy). i really like it. i would say it was very close to the far right in the last sample, maybe a tad darker.
D

[JonMarsh]

There are a lot of ways to get nice finishes with walnut, it really depends on what you're after appearance wise, and how much work you're willing to do.

One of the simplest that gives very nice results (not a lot of work, but takes time) is Watco oil; using very fine sand paper to slurry the first coats a bit to seal the pores, then typically 4-6 total depending on how much depth you want to the finish. It's very easy to repair, if you get boo-boo's in use.

Very nice looking cabinets, by the way... :T

[Coconutout]

srry for being the odd one but i think they look the best barewood lol.

[blue934]

i too liked the bare walnut but alas, a coat of clear makes a dynamic change and the bare wood would dry and soak up finger oils etc quickly.

david

[Coconutout]

yeah. clear would be my first choice also. satin finish. sadly i can never make my enclosures clean enough to get away that easily...

[cburbs]

So what is the difference between these 3 items?

Zinsser Seal Coat
Zinsser Shellac clear
Zinsser Shellac amber

[blue934]

i would imagine amber would add a tint to the finish. not sure about seal coat.

david

[sawdust]

So what is the difference between these 3 items?

Zinsser Seal Coat
Zinsser Shellac clear
Zinsser Shellac amber

Amber shellac adds a nice warm tint to walnut. I used it as part of my Statement finish. Try a sample to see for yourself.

[cburbs]

Well I bought the Clear Shellac but didn't open it yet as I wasn't sure which one to try.

[sawdust]

Well I bought the Clear Shellac but didn't open it yet as I wasn't sure which one to try.

I really think amber is a better choice for walnut. You will want to thin it with denatured alcohol. Thin to a 1lb cut. There are directions on the can for this.
Amber shellac produces a nice warm color, but it isn't overly durable. I ended up using a wipe on poly as a topcoat.

[Txgrizzly]

I really think amber is a better choice for walnut. You will want to thin it with denatured alcohol. Thin to a 1lb cut. There are directions on the can for this.
Amber shellac produces a nice warm color, but it isn't overly durable. I ended up using a wipe on poly as a topcoat.

I second this!!! this is a great way to get a good look on walnut without making it look plasticy?

[cburbs]

I really think amber is a better choice for walnut. You will want to thin it with denatured alcohol. Thin to a 1lb cut. There are directions on the can for this.
Amber shellac produces a nice warm color, but it isn't overly durable. I ended up using a wipe on poly as a topcoat.

Odd I don't see directions on the can for this but at Rockler I see this

For best results, thin to a 2 lb. cut (2 parts denatured alcohol, 5 parts shellac).

[sawdust]

Odd I don't see directions on the can for this but at Rockler I see this

For best results, thin to a 2 lb. cut (2 parts denatured alcohol, 5 parts shellac).

A 2lb cut will work. Before applying on your finished build, practice, practice, practice on scrap veneer or a board to see if you like the finish. This stuff dries very very fast. I used a brush to apply, but you don't paint it on (back and forth), you move in one direction and avoid too much overlapping. The nice thing about shellac is that it can be removed with denatured alcohol if you make a mistake. I lightly sanded in between coats and removed dust with a tack cloth.

Good luck!

[cburbs]

What type of wipe on poly did you use for a top coat. Just trying to gather all possible info on this.

[sawdust]

What type of wipe on poly did you use for a top coat. Just trying to gather all possible info on this.

http://www.minwax.com/products/interior_clear_protective_finishes/wipe_on_poly.html

[cburbs]

About how many coats or does it depend on taste?

[sawdust]

About how many coats or does it depend on taste?

I think I used 3, but it's up to you.

[cburbs]

Is there any reason to fill the open pores?

[jcain]

That is what the seal coat or sanding sealer does. what happens with wood when you sand it is it developes what we call tits when you put on a finnish. The seal coat minimizes this effect and also keeps an even color when a stain is applied. Before you do any thing you need to wipe a damp (not wet) sponge over the entire box to stand the grain up then sand in only one direction after it has dried over night. This is called feathering the grain, this will also show any glue that might have penatrated the veneer.

[cburbs]

What grit paper - 400?

[jcain]

Usualy 220 is fine enough, if you go to fine you will slow the penatration of the stain. I recomend reading the can of what ever you use for stain and since you have a hand applied veneer stay away from waterboune finnishes they will cause the veneer to lift and will drive you crazy. Good luck

[cburbs]

So is this somewhat of a good procedure to follow -

Posted by DanceswithBeers

For any oil finish, you'd follow the same steps basically:

1. Sand the entire project up through 320-400 grit.
2. Fill the grain if you want a perfectly smooth surface***
3. Apply the the oil-based finish liberally to the surface with a clean, lint free cloth, application sponge, or brush.
4. Wait about 5 minutes for it to soak in and wipe up the excess (this wait time varies depending on the product).
5. Wait 24 hours.
6. Repeat 3-5.
7. Wait 24 hours.
8. Sand with 400 grit.
9. Apply another coat and wipe off (when I wipe off, I typically just wipe with a t-shirt using one piece of it. I'm not wiping off every bit of finish, but more smoothing it out and wiping up enough excess to avoid any runs).
10. Repeat steps 7-9 until the finish starts building to the surface.

Once the finish is nearing the surface, I will typically start with finer sandpaper and then steel wool between coats. When it starts looking how I want it, after dry, I buff with 0000 steel wool and apply one more very light coat.

Your time to finish will differ depending on the wood type. For a smooth, closed grain wood like maple, you don't need much. For something like mahogany and walnut, the wood will soak up more of the oil. The general finishes tend to build up faster, more like poly. With the Danish oil, the build up was really slow. I prefer a lot of thin coats in general.

[DancesWithBeers]

First of all, what kind of finish are you looking for? Do you want flat, satin, semi-gloss, or gloss? Do you want a close to the wood finish that looks natural or something more built up? Do you want the finish to be finished quickly, or are you willing to spend more time (I take it you don't have a spray gun setup)?

[cburbs]

No spray gun setup. This will all be done by hand. I have time as I am not in a rush to get these done. I still have to build the crossovers for them as well.

I don't want them to be to Glossy and I would like more of a brown hue to them.

[Drew_V]

Not to throw you off-track here, but another option you might want to consider is using Waterlox. It's a superior Tung Oil based product that can be recoated at any time without any effort. Gives a deeper finish and looks more natural than any poly topcoat. I think if you do any amount of research on it at all, you'll find that it's got 100% positive reviews and virtually zero negatives (possibly aside from the cost). It's about $26/quart, but IMO worth every penny. You'll want to use the "Original Sealer/Finish" stuff.

Basically you treat it the same way as you were planning.... brush on one or two coats (foam brush is okay), using 400 grit paper to work in the second coat to fill the pores, then just apply as many subsequent coats as you want until the finish is to your liking. You can flatten out the finish with some 000 or 0000 steel wool (Liberon brand is the best) before the final coat to smooth things out a bit more. Most people apply 5-7 coats. Gives a nice satin/semi-gloss finish. Search around the internet for pictures of completed projects (mostly floors, tables, etc.). I think you'll be impressed. Much better than Danish Oil or other Tung Oil "finishes".

[cburbs]

Man that waterlox sealer/finisher is hard to find. Everyone was out for a week or two but I did find a big can of it and bought that one....pricey that's for sure.

[cburbs]

Started with the staining process yesterday....

[looneybomber]

I like that color stain. What brand and color did you use?

[cburbs]

I like that color stain. What brand and color did you use?

After looking/researching/listening to opinions I went with waterlox sealer/finisher. That is just one coat. I like the natural color it brought out.

Center -



Another Pic of the rears -

[DancesWithBeers]

Yeah, no need really to add any tint/dye/stain to walnut. It looks good with just the Waterlox. That's the best oil varnish I've used so far. I really like how it looks once its built up to the surface.

Warning, it will continue to off-gas, noticeably, longer than other other oil varnishes in my experience. My impatience meant I had to leave the all the windows open in the winter for a few days. I'd recommend leaving it outside of the house for a week or two after the final coat.

[cburbs]

Yeah the stuff does stink. So far though I really like they way they are turning out. Not rushing it or anything. Today is 5th day of staining them.

[cburbs]

More pics -

Rear speaker mounted -




Center channel -

[bob barkto]

Zinsser Shellac

Seal Coat is dewaxed, the natural waxes are removed. It is blonde or pale, almost no color. This is the prefered product to use between coats to promote adhesion or as a barrier coat.
It is a 2lb cut (2lbs shellac resin to 1 gallon alcohol).

Clear Shellac is also a blonde or pale shellac but it contains the natural wax present in the shellac resin. This is a 3lb cut.

Amber Shellac is, well, amber in color. It too contains the natural wax and is a 3lb cut.

Waxy shellac: The wax makes the shellac less versatile under other finishes. Quite a few topcoat fnishes have trouble adhering to waxy shellac. Plain old oil based varnish seems to stick ok. Anything "poly" won't adhere. Most water bornes won't adhere well either.

So what is the difference between these 3 items?

Zinsser Seal Coat
Zinsser Shellac clear
Zinsser Shellac amber