recommended finish for bubinga?

[chris ormsby]

I made 4 wine bottle stoppers and wine bottle holders this weekend. I need advice on how I should finish them. I would love to have them done for Christmas. On a very small scale this was my first attempt at hollowing. I am anticipating a challenge with this. Not as good as I would have liked the turning to come out but it is what it is for this round. I have BLO and wipe on poly on hand.

[David Hullum]

I have used lacquer or wipe on poly.

[John King]

I like Shellawax Woodturners Friction Polish. It's quick. Finish is applied while bottle stopper is on the lathe. It's durable. Stopper is complete and ready for mounting on metal cone when it is removed from the lathe.

Check it out at http://www.ubeaut.com.au/shell.html. - John

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Chris,

On bottlestoppers I use my own finishing procedure. I finish them on the lathe. When the stopper comes off the mandrel, it's ready to be used.

A lot of the exotics are oily/waxey. I first friction a coat of DEWAXED shellac on the stopper. I apply it with a very cheap brush with the lathe running at about 500-700 RPM. After 90-20 seconds, I use a paper towel and friction it. It will get hot enough to be uncomfortable to handle.

Then I friction on a couple of coats of Deft brushing lacquer.

Most friction polishes are a combination of shellac and waxes. The solvent for shellac is ALCOHOL. So...I'm a little hesitant to use shellac as a stand alone finish on bottlestoppers. Dewaxed shellac will stick to anything and anything will stick to dewaxed shellac. Thus I use dewaxed shellac as a barrier coat. Lacquer doesn't like to stick to oily surfaces but will stick to dewaxed shellac.

[Hilel Salomon]

I haven't worked with bubinga, but I have done a lot with Bolivian Rosewood and a few things with other SAmerican hardwoods. When they're very oily, the only thing I've been able to use is teak oil, readily available at HD and other places.
Regard,
Hilel.

[John King]

Here's an excerpt from the Shellawax web site.

"The hardener in the polish is activated by the heat generated during the application of the Shellawax. As soon as the surface is dry (almost instantly) a cross-linking begins in the finish. It is this cross-linking process which creates the harder surface. It takes around 3 weeks for the entire process to complete. However, in the mean time the work can be handled and used without fear of upsetting the process. Just keep it away from alcohol, water, etc during this time.

This new formula Shellawax is a foolproof, one application, friction polish, made for use on the wood lathe. It is (to our knowledge) the fastest and easiest to use polish of ifs kind on the market today, giving an instant shine to all timbers. It is used with the lathe running and under heat, created through friction, it is fused into the timber. It dries instantly, and can be handled immediately after application. It is water resistant from the start and becomes more resistant to water, alcohol, etc, over a 3 week period after initial application."

Note remarks about resistance to water, alcohol, etc. - John