Hello: I am about to start a project with bloodwood. I am looking to get a deep, dark, red, high gloss finish but I am not sure how to do so. My woodworking skills are geared more toward the carpentry aspect, and my refinishing talents are mediocre at best. If someone could help me understand the process of finishing off this beautiful wood, I would be very appreciative. Thanks in advance!
I used it in a mesquite, ebony, brazilian cherry and bloodwood stool I built as a prototype. I just used an oil/wax finish for a soft lustre. The bloodwood aged over time to a dark red. I would assume a high-gloss clear finish would give you what you want. Try to get one without the amber tint.
appreciative.
You better get checked out by a doc, Preston.
They've got these little foil wrapped "pills" that you don't swallow. Joe
If it's a flat surface, finish with a finely tuned smoother (hand plane). If this isn't feasible, sand to an extremely fine grain. Sanding above
400 grit does little for most woods and common finishes, but bloodwood is extraordinarily dense and sanding to 1200 and even finer imparts a noticeably deeper appearance. You may experience excessive clogging with the finer grits (bloodwood can be waxy). To minimize problems, use 3M's 216U, aka "Sandblaster" paper to as high a grit as you can find, and then switch to the wet-dry Silicon Carbide stuff.Best let time do this work. An applied colored finish can do nothing but diminish the natural beauty of this wood.
No choice there.
Finish preparation is the key (see above). A coat or three of tung oil finish will produce a decent gloss. For an extremely glossy look, sand to
2000 grit and apply one coat of tung or Danish oil finish. Buff off the excess oil thoroughly after 10 minutes or so, and again after allowing at least one full day for the oil to cure (longer is better). Then, french polish with a 2-lb cut of super blonde shellac. This yields an incredible finish that has to be seen to be believed. It is particularly impressive on turnings. (By the way, when sanding turnings, I get an improved finish by sanding the last few grades by hand, with the grain, rather than by turning on the lathe.)Cheers!
Jim
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