Your favorite color for figured maple

[Jeff Monson]

I just completed a hall table made of figured maple, I was thinking of just doing a natural maple but I've seen a few projects done with this wood and they have a slight stain or dye.

So what are your recemmondations for figured maple, I dont want it very dark. And also I have never tried BLO on maple, does it do any good to pop the grain or will my laquer do the same job.

[glenn bradley]

Maple? Natural is definitely my favorite although I will sometimes use a touch of oil (a thin solids mix like BLO and mineral spirits) to pop the figure. I normally like darker woods but maple and ash are so nice when the natural shimmer isn't hidden or exaggerated.

[Jeff Monson]

Glen do you feel the blo and mineral spirits does more to highlight the grain and figure than just a sprayed coat of laquer?

[Scott Holmes]

Yes a coat of BLO is "pop" the grain more than lacquer or varnish.

Mixing the BLO with MS is not a good plan, IMHO. BLO is 100% solids. Mixing it 50-50 with MS makes it 50% solids so you are leaving less IN the wood. MS is not a solvent for BLO only a thinner.

So, contrary to popular belief, thinning it with MS will not allow the BLO molecules to penitrate any deeper; they are still the same size. It will force the molecules to be farther apart, thus reducing the grain "POP". Fill the pores with BLO and be done, thinning it first, means you need to add more coats of BLO to fill the ppores and you will not fill it as well after the first application has dried in the pores.

[Jim Becker]

I've done it natural (with just some BLO for "pop") and have worked with dyes. I like both and would choose either way based on the particular project. For my tiger maple and purple heart night stands, the maple stayed natural. For my tiger maple candle stand, it got the dye treatment. (Both projects are posted here at SMC)

[Jeff Monson]

Glen, Jim, Thanks for the replies, Scott, I did thin the blo with ms, about 20% so not too much I hope. I've never thinned out blo on other projects so I'll give it another wipedown tomorrow.

The table looks great with just blo, I have a gallon of EM6000 coming on Monday so I'll have to wait a few more days to get it sprayed. I've sprayed alot of solvent based laquer and this is my 1st water based attempt so I am looking forward to using the product.

[Rob Cunningham]

Rather than thinning the BLO with mineral spirits, I prefer to warm it to @ 170 degrees. Warming it lowers the viscosity without reducing the solids content. I learned this from the Thomas Moser website.
BLO is flammable, don't warm it over an open flame. A hotplate or double boiler works well.