walnut crotch bowl..need advice

[Brent Grooms]

Ok.. somewhere along the way I managed to get probably my best turning to date nearing completion. Its a shallow walnut bowl that has a fantastic fleathering of the crotch wood. I am looking for some ideas that might help with highlighting the grain and the chatoyance.

I wetted it down to get ready for the final sandings and was blown away by the figure... I don't want to regret my choice of finishing.

[John Keeton]

Brent, you will get a variety of responses on this one! That is certainly one very nice bowl from a beautiful piece of wood.

Your choice of finish will depend somewhat on the intended use. Were it me, I probably would not relegate this bowl to utilitarian service, and would give it a high gloss lacquer finish as IMO that best shows off chatoyance. However, many like the effect of an oil finish on highly figured woods - particuarly bowls.

[Ken Whitney]

I'd keep it simple -- Watco and Buff (no white diamond, though).

[David E Keller]

That's beautiful. I like the looks of an oil finish on something like this, so that's where I'd go with it. I agree with avoid the white diamond unless you like the look of little white pores throughout the wood.

[Cathy Schaewe]

How about some BLO to bring out the figure even more, then a coating of shellac, and then some lacquer and buff?

Or, polymerized tung oil. I think either would look great -

[Steve Schlumpf]

Wow - great looking bowl! Be sure to post a photo of it once finished!

Oh - I would use some type of an oil base to make the grain pop - then add a clear coat of your choice - buffed to a gloss!

[Ken Glass]

Brent,
My vote would be either Tung Oil or Antique Oil. An oil, like Steve said, would make the color and grain pop out. It is a very nice bowl. Well done.

[Brent Grooms]

Thanks for the complements, but the wood is definately the star. This had a bark inclusion that ran across the width of the blank that I didn't know if it would hold together. I am still pondering turning out the two remnants of this inclusion that you can see on either side of the rim. This would also remove the little chip that came out at the 11 o'clock position.

Some BLO / Danish oil / Seal-a-Cell is what I am leaning tward and topcoating with either a poly or WB Lacquer. Altho, I am a bit nervous to spray this guy. My wife already wants it, but this one might be for my desk at work. A reminder of why I am working... so I get to play.

[John Altberg]

Brent,

I made a similar turning out of walnut and finished it with tung oil and then buffed. Brings out the figure and still looks and feels like wood. Good luck!

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/picture.php?albumid=392&pictureid=3746

John

[Tom Sherman]

Brent I would cast my vote for Antique oil I have used it on Walnut in the past and not been disappointed.

[David DeCristoforo]

Oil. Or maybe oil. Any oil will bring the grain in walnut to life. Then if you want, you can use a top coat. But if you wet sand with thinned oil, down to six hundred or finer, you can bring up a beautiful gloss.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Wow, can this be a first? Most people agree on oil? I like oil too.... Antique oil is very nice to use on dark wood. IMO.
If you've never used BLO, be aware that the rag can spontaneously combust....

[Allen Neighbors]

Did anyone mention oil? :D I would use Danish Oil; Overnight soak... then apply another overnight soak... then one more overnight soak... soft rubdowns with 0000 wool between soaks. Then I would let it cure for a week or so... and then a few coats of Water White, pre-catalyzed Lacquer. Then let that cure for a week or so... then buff with EEE and White Diamond, and clean wheel or Ren Wax.
After all the soaks and rubdowns and Lacquer, there won't be any pores left open, and IMO, you can't find a better, purer finish that lets the wood show through.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Ok.. somewhere along the way I managed to get probably my best turning to date nearing completion. Its a shallow walnut bowl that has a fantastic fleathering of the crotch wood. I am looking for some ideas that might help with highlighting the grain and the chatoyance.

I wetted it down to get ready for the final sandings and was blown away by the figure... I don't want to regret my choice of finishing.

Black Walnut and Polymerized Tung oil, half a dozen coats, one coat per day and a light rub with 0000 steel-wool between coats, a week or two rest to let the finish harden up, then polish with rouge and diamond, what else would you need :)

161137

[Wally Dickerman]

Again I'm going to go against the grain here. I feel that an oil finish would be a mistake. It would darken the wood too much and over time would continue to get darker. I've seen oil finished walnut that had beautiful grain that is now difficult to see. My suggestion would be several coats of lacquer, not too glossy.

I have a walnut bowl that was turned in my early days of turning. It was finished with oil and is now almost black. Admittedly it is many years old.

Wally

[Harvey Schneider]

If you've never used BLO, be aware that the rag can spontaneously combust....

This fire hazard is true of almost all polymerizing oils. Just leave oil damp rags spread out so that heat can't be trapped. The oil will safely cure. The alternative is to put them in an air tight fireproof container.