tough finishing question

[Jeff Fleisher]

Hi,

I used holly as a trim wood on a project I am working on because it is a very white color wood. I would like to preserve the 'whiteness' as much as possible when I apply a finish. Holly was specifically chosen because of the white color of the wood. I'm experimenting with various approaches to finishing it without it turning amber. Any suggestions? My latest thought is to apply a light wash of clear shellac followed by a spray finish using Deft gloss lacquer. Prrevious experience shows that Deft provides the least amount of 'ambering'. Can I use a lacquer over shellac? Does anyone have any other approaches that might work better? Thanks, Jeff

[Andy]

You can put just about anything over shellac - that's why a light cut of shellac makes a good sealer coat. Even super-blonde shellac has just a little color, though I doubt if it would be noticeable on holly. I think your idea is a good one - let us know what works.

[Leon]

Stay away from oil based finishes as they will amber the color. Water based finishes tend to leave a crystal clear finish.

[George]

Even better, some have a bluish tint that makes 'em look even whiter.

[Duane Bozarth]

...

Not surprising--holly is very slow growing and doesn't reach much size so there's a minimal amount of it available by definition. Add to that it's essentially unique character to make it highly prized and you have the recipe for a premium-priced product.

[wood_newbie]

Don't really have an answer to _your_ question, but will ask you one back!

Do you remember how much that holly cost per bd/ft? I was in a Rocklers the other day and they had some holly for sale. They sell per lineal foot, so didn't really have a comparison in bd/ft, but it was more than triple the cost of most of the other stuff.

Beautiful wood, but cost a metric butt ton per bd/ft!

[David]

use a waterborne finish such as waterborne poly or waterborne lacquer. they won't yellow over time, and they go on more colorlessly than other finishes (shellac, oil based poly). I doubt "clear" shellac is really "clear".

Dave

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 17:37:10 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Leon" quickly quoth:

Oilbased finishes are amber, waterborne finishes are bluish clear. A Platina/superblonde shellac or waterborne finish would probably work best to keep his holly light in color.