Suggestion for finish on white oak w/walnut small chest

[Jim Helfer]

I'm building a small chest out of white oak with a lid made of walnut and white oak.

I have used a number of different types of finishes so far, but I'm still mostly a cluesless newby, so I would apreciate some advice (or direction) on what sort of finish I should use.

It will be used outside in historical recreationist camping (S.C.A.), so it needs to be somewhat weather resistant, and not look "modern"

I would guess laquer? Should I stain the oak at all? I know that walnut shouldn't be stained, but a tough of color in the oak would be nice.

One more thing, please. I've used grain filler on red oak projects. Should I use this on the white oak?

Thanks for your advice.

Jim

[TDUP]

Don't stain the oak. Get a can of Shellac and it will look beautiful. Watch the date on the bottom of the can when you buy it. It's only good for a little over 6 months. Looks great on oak and walnut.

Tim

[Jim Helfer]

I'm sure it would, but won't the finish get messed up if, say, the box gets rained on?

Jim H

[Jim Helfer]

But, I could cover the shellace with laquer to protect it maybe? I wasn't sure that this was possible. But I DAGS and find an article by a Mr. "George Utley" (Isn't there a Newhart character by that name?) that talks about it.

[David]

make sure you use dewaxed shellac, Jim. Seal Coat by Zinnser is de-waxed and suitable for use with poly, or lacquers.

David

Jim Helfer wrote:

[nospambob]

[Jim Helfer]

Not even lacquer? Hmm. Glad I asked. Maybe a polurethane that doesn't look so much like plastic?

[Andy Dingley]

So don't use walnut then. Not a period timber.

OTOH, the main timber of the SCA is plywood, so I guess anything solid is an improvement.

Medieval repro is an interest of mine (you might be interested in a long series of posts of mine to rec.org.sca on the historical introduction of shellac).

So for authenticity, I'd use polyurethane.

Just to clarify that, simple authenticity is easy - no finishing at all. It just didn't happen.

Shellac is a great finish and I use it a lot. But it's not authentic, it doesn't look right (maybe a very thin application, dulled with rottenstone afterwards), it's not especially water resistant, and it's not mechanically strong against getting humped around campsites.

So what I use is one or two _maximum_ thin coats of gel poly (I use "Patina" in the UK). This is blatant cheating, but it has good weather resistance and such a thin coating of it is damn near invisible.

This is always a tough call. Are you making a reproduction that looks like new, or that looks like an original piece looks today / after many years of service ? Remember that even medieval furniture was new once (although remember Monty Python's sage advice - "You can tell he's the king, he hasn't got much shit on him")

Personally I never stain oak and very rarely dye it. If I colour it, it's ammonia fuming every time. The way oak darkens with age is through oxidation and that's the same as ammonia does to it. Use vapour fuming for a brown oak, or wet solutions brushed on to turn it the real black of "Jacobean" oak.