Unfailing Beauty of Cherry!!

[Jerry Olexa]

Yesterday, I sanded my project to 220grt and wiped it down w mineral spirits. Today, I applied the BLO and as always, the cherry magically comes to life! It gets even better after a 30min later wipeoff. I continue to marvel at this natural "awakening effect" as the grain is enhanced and the wood warms . I remember an old book "Reverence for Wood" by Sloane (I believe) and that title expresses my feelings this morning. Anyway, forgive the rantings of an old codger... Suppose that's one of reasons why we're all WWer's. Back to the RedSox!!

PS Pics will follow soon, Tyler!:)

[Ted Shrader]

Jerry -

The same is true of many other woods also. It never ceases to amaze me how much more beautiful some of the pieces of wood are than I had anticipated when laying out a project. It really is amazing.

Ted

[Scott Parks]

Will BLO do the same on maple? Without adding a lot of color?

My next maple project.... I'll be going natural, no stain. I'm planning on using Target Coatings, but first should I use BLO to bring out the grain and beauty? If I just use the TC on maple, it looks blah. Do you rub on the BLO? How many coats do you apply? Also, is this the same stuff as triple boiled linseed oil such as Tru-Oil for gun stocks? And last, do you use the generic stuff you can buy in a gallon can at the Big Box stores? (I've never used it before except for slopping it on log walls on my Father-in-laws log house...) ((Hope I don't sound like too big of a newbie here)):o

[Jim Becker]

Scott, BLO will, in fact, add some amber color to the maple. What some folks do to highlight the figure in maple is to dye it and then sand off the dye with a block. This removes the color from the smooth, creamy material, but leaves it in the more porus grain that makes up the figure. When you top coat it, you'll not have a blazé piece of wood anymore.

[John Miliunas]

Ahhhh Jerry, you're a man after my own heart! Just watching that grain pop is beauteous! :) And, as Ted says, there are many flavors, which have a similar impact. I know buying all my lumber in the rough is a LOT more time and labor intense, but therein lies one of the most rewarding parts of it: Discovering what's underneath all that fuzzy, dirty and sometimes stained exterior! Got some Hard Maple a few weeks ago, definitely along the lines of #2 & #3 common. Started in on them and got some decent looking pieces. Then, out of nowhere, what should emerge from the planer but some BE!!! :D Not real dense or spectacular, but pretty, nonetheless. LOML already gave me strict orders to "put it aside"! :cool:

[Tom LaRussa]

Yesterday, I sanded my project to 220grt and wiped it down w mineral spirits. Today, I applied the BLO and as always, the cherry magically comes to life! It gets even better after a 30min later wipeoff. I continue to marvel at this natural "awakening effect" as the grain is enhanced and the wood warms . I remember an old book "Reverence for Wood" by Sloane (I believe) and that title expresses my feelings this morning. Anyway, forgive the rantings of an old codger... Suppose that's one of reasons why we're all WWer's. Back to the RedSox!!

PS Pics will follow soon, Tyler!:)
Jerry,

You're a poet and don't even know it! :)