Finishing an Elm Flitch

[Jarrod McGehee]

Ok so I have an elm flitch and I'm just not sure how to finish it. I have a sturdy maple base with a maple trestle and bloodwood pins holding the through tenon which I am finishing with Deft Lacquer and it looks alright but I'm just not sure how to finish the slab.

I'm thinking about using Minwax Tung Oil and I've used that on an end table I made w/ walnut but something happened in a few spots and I got a bunch of tiny spots and it cost me a perfect score at the county fair :mad:

So I don't want that problem again but other than a few spots the finish was good for me. I DO though want a durable finish that will repel water and is good for a coffee table. Thanks for the help guys.

ps- the pictures of the slab are on the 2nd page of this link
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1071191&page=2

[Jim Becker]

Minwax Tung Oil Finish isn't tung oil...it's just a wipe-on varnish. It's not a "bad" finish (and I say that despite the fact I don't like many Minwax products) and should give nice results with proper preparation and application. Spots in the finish are a sign that something was amiss; preparation or contamination, for example.

Personally, I finish projects like this with an application of BLO for color and "pop", de-waxed shellac to seal the oil and usually a water borne finish sprayed on top of that. (Typically Target Coatings USL) If I were going to use a wipe on varnish, I'd start the same way and depending on how my samples turned out use the shellac or not before proceeding with the varnish. You need to do the same kind testing to decide what works best for you.

[Jarrod McGehee]

well I would do that testing but this is the only piece I have of this wood. So what you're saying is use the BLO then shellac and lacquer after? and if I wanted to use the Minwax I would use shellac first? I'm thinking about putting a wax or some semi-gloss finish on it then buffing a little.