Just went to Lee Valley and picked up a book on finishing cause I have=20 several projects on the go and need info..
Think I can recommend this book...
It seems to answer a lot of the questions that come up here.
FYI it points out that many of the beloved finishes that get rhapsodies=20 here are polymerized oils -- (plastics -- oh the horror of it all!)=20 things like BLO and Polymerized Tung oil... Geez no better than wipe on=20 poly --
Think I'll finish my cherry table project in stain and wipe on poly. :-( =
Just kidding Tom -- recall the hit squad. (sheesh -- just a joke!) But=20 what I did do was used Deft -- fruitwood colour -- which according to=20 Flexner acts more like a die -- does not obscure the grain and can be=20 topcoated by a finish more resistant to water and alcohol. This is used=20 to bring the cherry to a more consistent colour instead of waiting and=20 praying to the colour gods for a favourable transition. A rather neat=20 trick... And it does seem to work as I did this on the lamps I made with =
no seeming ill effect, now I know _why_ it works.
Anyway -- I found it very useful particularly in the recommended finish=20 charts (comparing finish characteristics) , notes on compatible stains=20 and top coats, compatible dyes and top coats etc.
Other useful charts identify many common finishes as to their=20 components. This is really useful when you wish to get good grain "pop=20 out" but need to top coat to protect.
One of the problems he points out -- through comparison charts is that=20 you can get good transparency through oil, or oil/varnish combinations,=20 or you can get good protection -- but you can't get both without using=20 conversion finishes (professional finishes) and losing repairability. In =
other words -- you can't win. Something I have long suspected.
=2E..and well worth the $20 in CDN pesos. Save me money in wasted effort =
already, and in understanding why some of my WAG's worked. (And why some =
would not have if I had tried them and wasted the project...)
(Toller -- maybe a dye would have popped the curly cherry -- maybe not=20 but worth a try...)
If you get it, hope it helps you as much as it helps me.
This blurb is from the Lee Valley site...
--------------------------------------------- Understanding Wood Finishing =09 Understanding Wood Finishing - Woodworking by Bob Flexner
This is clearly the best-researched, most complete book on finishing=20 that we have seen to date.
Flexner stresses understanding the chemistry and mechanics of finishing, =
developing in his readers not only a knowledge of what materials and=20 techniques work for a given finishing problem, but why they work and how =
they work. He debunks myths, gives valuable tips, and presents numerous=20 tabulations of problems with their solutions in a clear, usable format.
All readily available finishes are covered, from their history,=20 composition and chemical behavior through application and repair=20 techniques and relative merits, with advice on how to assess which is=20 best for any situation.
Flexner's straightforward prose, well illustrated with color and=20 black-and-white photographs and drawings, makes this book a complete=20 education in finishing
--=20 Will R. Jewel Boxes and Wood Art