Finishing input please.

[Dale Thompson]

I've got a few mantle clocks to make for upcoming graduations and weddings. Two are made of Walnut and two are made of mahogany. I'm sure that the Walnut will get about 9 coats of Tung oil (as a turner, I can't stand the thought of a stain on Walnut).

On the other hand, I'm rather new to Mahogany. I would rather not emphasize the red of the wood but I want to give a classy looking present. What do I do?

Thanks in advance:

Dale T.

[GEDunton]

You like the tung oil finish from your post, so why change horses? It will product as nice a finish on the mahog as the walnut. You can kill the color a little by setting the clocks in your shop window for a week or so, turn them each day, let them sun tan. You can also add a little, just a little walnut stain to the first coat or two or three of tung oil to darken the mahog, when it is darkened enough, go back to clear.

[Dale Thompson]

GE,
Thanks. I'll give them a bit of a tan when they are ready and we get some sun up here. I've used a lot of Walnut stain on a lot of different woods. I like it but I didn't want to fully disguise the mahogany. Your idea of the "very light" tint is just what I think the mahogany needs. Thanks again.

Dale T.

[Steve Schoene]

I also agree that tung oil makes a fine finish for walnut, but for mahogany I tend to think traditional and a full finish seems more appropriate. Besides, currently available honduras mahogany is often so very light that it would take decades to reach about halfway to a rich antique mahogany.

If you are a glutton for punishment, I would start with a water based dye, in a medium light lemon yellow color. This will look awful, wet and dry. Then apply a coat of 1 to 2 lb. cut of dewaxed shellac. Then overcoat with a fairly light mix of a brown mahogany dye. The shellac will have partially protected some of the yellow letting it shine through on the denser place where the shellac covered more. Then either use a paste pore filler tinted with a mix of burnt umber (browner) and burnt sienna (redder) colors, or a similar oil based pigmented stain. Then finish with multiple coats of shellac, or if you wish use the french polish technique to finish. Or use any top coat you like.