Brazilian Cherry question

[JR]

I just made a chessboard out of Br. Cherry and birch. What would be a nice finish? When I wet the cherry, it looks beautiful. How can I keep that look?

Linseed oil? Danish Oil?

Thanks.

Jeff

[Leon]

Just about any oil or varnish will bring out the color. A gel varnish would probably be the easiest to apply, give more protection, and get a glass smooth finish. Apply and " 8-10" seconds later gently wipe off the excess, repeat 8 to 10 times.

[marc rosen]

Jeff, Please pardon this cheap attempt at humor but this is one woodworking project where you won't mind a few "checks" showing up. And to stay on topic, we used a wipe on polyurethane gel on our curly (not Brazillian) cherry bed and nightstands and the shine looks like it is wetted. Marc

[eclipsme]

Also not Brazillian Cherry, but I recently made some cherry cabinets finished with water-based poly. Came out nice, I thought, and the color is deepening with age.

Then I made some cutting boards for the relatives out of the scraps and used BLO as the finish.

What a difference! Deeper color, much more depth, and did I say deeper color? Wow! Was that the same wood?

I'd like to know how to get the depth of BLO with the durability of Poly!

Harvey

[JR]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

Also, sorry, what's BLO?

[Bonehenge (B A R R Y)]

Boiled linseed oil. Be careful with it on food items, as it contains poisonous metallic driers. Use walnut oil from the grocery or woodworking store on uncoated food vessels and cutting boards.

BTW, The best "grain popper / sealer" I've ever used was learned right here on the 'wreck.

"Robert's Sealer":

1/3 BLO 1/3 Dewaxed shellac (mix your own or use canned Zinnser Seal Coat) 1/3 Pure Gum Turpentine (the pine tree stuff, do not substitute paint thinner or mineral spirits)

What you end up with is a fast drying, BLO grain pop, with sealing properties of shellac. It can be lightly sanded, and/or applied over itself as needed. Use it anywhere you'd use BLO alone.

Mix it up in a squeeze bottle and rag it on. Keep it well shaken as you apply it. Wipe it on and wipe off the excess. Wipe it off again in 10-15 minutes. I've overcoated this sealer with solvent based finishes after only 8 hours, and water base the next day.

Do not let anyone who hasn't actually tried it tell you the three ingredients won't work well together.

[JR]

Gotcha. Thanks. But like I said, I'm making a chessboard. Of course, knowing my kids, its possible one of them will put a sandwich on it at some point.

[Bonehenge (B A R R Y)]

No worries.

Others in the thread mentioned cutting boards finished with BLO.

[Nova]

Boiled linseed oil contains metallic dryers, most commonly salts of lead or manganese. I would not recommend using BLO on a cutting board. Pharmaceutical mineral oil is what is often suggested.

[Scott Lurndal]

Mix 1 part BLO, 1 part Spar Varnish and 1 part turps.

scott

[Leon]

Spar??? Varnish? Why would you want it to remain flexible and never harden?

[dustyyevsky]

I like Brazilian Cherry (jatoba) specifically because it's so easy to get a really great finish. I've tried a few different finishes and my favorite is BLO followed by multiple coats of super blonde then rubbed with wax using 0000 steel wool. This produces a mirror like "wet" sheen that doesn't doesn't look cheap.