whats a good natural finish for mahogany?

[dan sherman]

So I think I have talked SWMBO into letting me use genuine Honduran mahogany instead of African on my upcoming end tables project (she still wants to see some Jatoba samples though). If I'm going to go to the expense of using color matched Honduran, I want it to achieve that classic amberish brown color as naturally(no dye or stain) as possible. These pieces are going to experience moderate abuse (spills etc) I want a decently protective finish that can be replenished.

What does everyone recommend?

off the top of my head I was thinking:
1. BLO to warm the wood if needed
2. shellac as a sealer & grain filler (might neet to experiment with a purpose made filler)
3. Some type of Lacquer

[Scott Holmes]

Shellac as a filler... good choice. I suggest you apply a few coats of 2# cut of shellac. I like garnet on mahogany; but blonde will work well too. Then sand it back so you only leave shellac in the grain. You have just filled your wood with a hard, optically clear, "filler" that is color fast. If you see little shiny dimples then it will take another "fill" session.

As for the finish; brushing lacquer (OTC DIY stuff) is not much more durable than the shellac. Both are easy to repair. Both are probably enough protection for an end table or coffee table.

Personally I would not want any finish that I need to periodically need to replenish...(oil only) that just takes time away from new projects.

For a more permanent solution a qualtiy Phenolic resin/tung oil varnish may never need attention or repair. Waterlox is the most widely available.

Another option is a phenolic resin/linseed oil varnish; Behlen's Rock hard table top.

NOTE Polyurethane is for floors. :) Or a table that will be danced on while wearing shoes.

[dan sherman]

For a more permanent solution a qualtiy Phenolic resin/tung oil varnish may never need attention or repair. Waterlox is the most widely available.

Another option is a phenolic resin/linseed oil varnish; Behlen's Rock hard table top.

Aren't varnishes harder to polish and repair? SWMBO loves the french polished look. I want something that when the time comes is not a nightmare to repair. As a kid I helped my dad repair an old table that had been finished with an indusrrial grade varnish, and it was a real ordeal to get the old finish off without resorting to abrasives.

[Matt Meiser]

1. BLO to warm the wood if needed
2. shellac as a sealer & grain filler (might neet to experiment with a purpose made filler)
3. Some type of Lacquer

I used BLO, then a gel stain because it wasn't quite as dark as desired. The gel stain didn't do a lot, probably becaue the wood was already oiled. Then shellac as a barrier then Minwax wipe-on poly which I think tends to be a lot more varnish and a lot less poly but regardless I used it on a lot of projects before I "knew better" and they've all held up nicely and dont' have the characteristics people complain about with poly. The piece turned out great. I only see the piece about once a year and aways check it out to see how its holding up.

[Prashun Patel]

If it were me, I wouldn't use shellac. I'd use a varnish; I've also used Waterlox - pricey but really great to use.

The BLO or tinted shellac will do a great deal to enrich the color of mahogany. If you want it darker, then I suggest using an aniline dye first (they're quite easy to use, so consider this option again b4 ruling it out).

There are some great articles on FWW about finishing mahogany:

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=2855

You can mess around with pumice or rottenstone to fill the grain, but I'm with Scott. I prefer shellac.

[Howard Acheson]

With mahogany there are a number ot things to consider. Probably foremost is the type of finish you are looking for. The traditional finish is a formal look, filled grain, highly glossed finish (similar to french polished). To get this finish requires filling the grain with a grain filler. The grain filler can be tinted to provide particular coloring. After the grain is filled, a number of coats of laquer are applied. Then the finish is rubbed out to whatever gloss you want. The more gloss, the more work to rub out. A problem with high gloss is that it tends to be easily scratched so high gloss may not be what you want for a surface that may get abused.

A second way to fill the grain is with a lacquer based sanding sealer. Sanding sealer is made with a higher percentage of solids so a couple of coats will generally fill the grain.

Shellac contains a relatively minimal amount solids so it is not an efficient grain filler. It takes lots of coats of shellac to build up enough of a film thickness to fill the grain.

The more informal look for mahogany is to just apply a film finish (shellac, laquer, varnish, etc). This will leave much more of the look and feel of the wood and scratching will not be as apparent.

It's key to use your scrap and experiment with your proposed finish before committing to your project.

Mahogany is the king of furniture woods and almost any finish will look nice.

[dan sherman]

With mahogany there are a number ot things to consider. Probably foremost is the type of finish you are looking for. The traditional finish is a formal look, filled grain, highly glossed finish (similar to french polished). To get this finish requires filling the grain with a grain filler. The grain filler can be tinted to provide particular coloring. After the grain is filled, a number of coats of laquer are applied. Then the finish is rubbed out to whatever gloss you want. The more gloss, the more work to rub out. A problem with high gloss is that it tends to be easily scratched so high gloss may not be what you want for a surface that may get abused.

SWMBO Loves the High polished look so scratches are inevitable I guess. This is why I was thinking lacquer would be a good top coat, because it can be repaired a lot easier than Varnish (or so I have read).

[Scott Holmes]

SWMBO Loves the High polished look so scratches are inevitable I guess. This is why I was thinking lacquer would be a good top coat, because it can be repaired a lot easier than Varnish (or so I have read).
True... however if you use the correct type of varnish, chances are good that it will not need to be repaired.

Lacquer is more easily damaged than a quality varnish.

Waterlox
Pratt & Lambert #38
Behlen's RockHard
Cabot (series # 8000)

Poly should not be on furniture.

[dan sherman]

Waterlox
Pratt & Lambert #38
Behlen's RockHard
Cabot (series # 8000)


These are all wipe on aren't they? do you know of any good spray varnishes that won't yellow?




Poly should not be on furniture.

That's for sure..... No way am I going to spend hundreds of dollars on lumber and then slap some poly on it.

[Scott Holmes]

Wipe-on, spray-on it is only a matter of the amount of varnish vs the amount of thinner.

Wipe-on is nothing more than regular varnish mixed ~ 50%/50% mineral spirits.

One doesn't usually need to thin it that much to spray it.

Least yellowing varnish will be alkyd resin/soya oil varnish. Pratt & Lambert #38 is a good choice if you can find it.

[Todd Burch]

I wouldn't waste my money on color matched Mahogany. 3 weeks after your finished, they'll all be darker and closer in color. After a few months, you won't be able to tell which was light and which was dark to start with.

Todd

[dan sherman]

my color matched I meant me digging through the stack at the lumber yard and picking out boards of similar color.

[Marc Casebolt]

I dug up some pics of a custom desk I did for a guy about 3 years ago because we needed a similar finish to what I think you are looking for. The solid wood and trim are Honduran mahogany, the veneer is bubinga, but you can get an idea of the color and sheen.

The finish is:

A light wash of analine dye (water base) to lessen the contrast between the mahogany and the bubunga. You can adjust what color you add with the dye, or omit this step if you are happy with the natural color.

A couple of coats of 1# shellac to seal and lock down the dye.

Target USL sprayed. I don't remember how many coats, but it was several.

The grain fill was done with the lacquer, slowly building the dry film thickness and then sanding it back. Repeat adding coats and sanding until you can lightly sand the surface and get it even and flat looking (no dimples or shinny spots). Then shoot on a final coat of finish and polish it to the sheen you want.

Be sure to do samples. Lots of samples so you will not be surprised by the final look.

Hope this is helpful, Marc

This takes a bit of time, but the result is worth it.

[Casey Gooding]

My favorite:
1/3 polyurethane (or varnish, sheen of your choice), 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 BLO. Flood the surface and use 400 grit sandpaper while it's wet. When it dries, your pores are filled. Then apply as many additional coats as you need to get to your desired results. Don't sand the additional coats like the first. Though between coats is fine.

[dan sherman]

Marc, that's beautiful, I will definitely have to give that finish schedule a try.

[Scott Holmes]

My favorite:
1/3 polyurethane (or varnish, sheen of your choice), 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 BLO.

Your technique sounds fine. Why 1/3 BLO and 1/3 tung oil? Most oil/varnish blends are 1/3 varnish, 1/3 oil, 1/3, mineral spirits (MS) a.k.a. paint thinnner.

What advantage is 1/3 varnish and 2/3 oil? It will produce a much softer, less durable finish.

When you say "tung oil" are you using 100% tung oil or some tung oil finish?

If by chance you are using Formby's Tung Oil then I know why you like the finish so much; you are using 1/3 varnish; 1/3 BLO and 1/3 Formby's Tung Oil (an alkyd resin/soya oil varnish mixed 75-80% with MS) so in essence what you have is 1/3 BLO, a little more then 1/3 varnish, and a little lees than 1/3 MS.

[Prashun Patel]

This is Sam Maloof's finish of choice. It's the 1st I've heard of doubling down on 2 types of oil; but it worked for him.

[Casey Gooding]

Scott,
That's the finish Sam Maloof used on his pieces. I always have some mixed up. I use pure tung oil, not a mixture. The varnish/oil/mineral spirits combo will work well, too. I have used that quite a bit.