Bringing out the curl

[Scott Hackler]

What is everyones best finish/treatment for bringing out the curl and figure in burl? I just started turning a nice peice of big leaf Maple burl and boy does it have a lot going for it. The wood looks fantastic but I want to make the most of it. Mainly because it cost me $30 and second because it will be my first true burl turning.

I have used BLO a lot and that seems to work OK.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

What is wrong with BLO? Other than it takes weeks to dry and the rags spontaneously combust:eek:?
I used to like BLO, I thought it did an excellent job. However for those 2 reasons, and mainly the second, I no longer have BLO in my garage. Tung oil blend was my #2 choice. Pure Tung oil can take weeks to dry too. Haven't had a rag smoke yet.

[Dennis Ford]

I like pure tung oil thinned with mineral spirits. I usually let it cure a few days and then apply a lacquer topcoat.

[David DeCristoforo]

You can't beat oil to pop the grain in burl. Boiled linseed seems to be the most popular but for the life of me, I cannot understand why. Now that that's out of the way I copied this from a reference site on the web:
No UV (ultraviolet) light resistance... UV causes more damage to exposed wood than any other factor, destroying wood fibers and setting it up for attack by mildew, fungus, and insects.
Linseed oil is mildew food... Many vegetable oils are food products for humans... all vegetable oils are food products for mildew! Linseed oil is not completely denatured, so it can encourage rather than discourage mildew growth.
Linseed oil does not harden sufficiently to offer enough resistance to abrasion to be a suitable deck floor preservative... at least by today's standards. Linseed oil has been used for interior wood floors, but it must be waxed for durability! Waxing an outside deck would be dangerous, even if you hang a "Slippery When Wet" sign!
Multiple coats of linseed oil are gummy .

I prefer to use a tung oil finish that has some varnish and hardener in it (Minwax tung Oil Finish is one I like) but the "best" is a mixture of oil and varnish that I make up myself. Of course I'm not a big fan of heavy finishes because I like to feel the wood. But the fact is that any oil will pop the grain on your burl. How you go from there is up to you...

[Curt Fuller]

I like Minwax Antique Oil but no one in my area keeps it on the shelf and I'm too impatient to order it and go back to get it. So I've gone to Minwax Tung Oil finish and I've found it has almost the exact same characteristics as the AO as far as dry time, and the same look after buffing. It might be my imagination but the tung oil also seems like it might have more of a yellow tint. I suspect Steve Schlumph will comment here about wipe on poly. I would say that Steve gets about the best finish I've seen.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Scott I like Minwax antique oil. It pops the grain and curl as good as BLO and dries faster.

[David E Keller]

I think David D. has established that BLO is not a good choice for decking!:D

I personally like BLO, but any oil should pop the grain. Before the shop remodel began(which has suspended my turning capabilities), I used BLO followed by shellac then WOP for a couple of burled pieces, and I like the way they turned out. I don't think you'll be disappointed with any of the usual oils.

[Jon Lanier]

I like sealing with Shellac... sand, Shellac, sand and then depending on the gloss of the finish... any of the above. If I want it high shine, I'll go with many coats of Poly wipe.

[Scott Hackler]

All good info, thanks fellas. I think I will try and get a bottle of tung oil tomorrow and try it out on a sample cut off.

[Brent Grooms]

Try General finishes seal-a-cell... gives the same effect of the BLO but with a good dry time and... added benefit... it stiffens up the fibers on difficult woodgrain to "tame" it some.

[John Keeton]

There are several similar threads in the Project Finishing forum. There are a couple of finishing gurus there, and I will offer this quote from one of those threads -
"Minwax Tung oil finish is an oil/varnish blend... It is an in-the-wood finish and high gloss is not really an option with an oil/varnish blend. 65% mineral spirits 35% split between the linseed oil and the varnish of their choice. You can make your own buy mixing equal amounts of BLO, MS, and varnish.

FYI - Tung Oil Finiish is just a name; the oil in it is linseed oil."

The same can be said for many of the "tung oil" finishes, including Formby's, and Antique Oil. They are all varnish blends.

FWW had an article a year or so ago regarding the color and clarity of the various oils, and for me, that is the deciding factor. BLO has a much deeper, and darker, amber effect on wood. If that does not fit your desired outcome, then true Tung oil is considerably lighter.

While David is correct on the properties of BLO - it doesn't make a good final finish - the question goes to popping the grain. BLO does that, and does it very well.

Leo uses polymerized tung oil, and while I have not tried it, it is going to be something I will try in the future.

My favorite finish - now - is BLO, shellac, and WOP. Though, my guess is that the final color would be much the same with just WOP. However, over time, I think the BLO will darken the wood more than just WOP. That may not be a good thing, depending on the outcome sought.

General Finishes seal-a-cell is very similar in makeup as is Minwax WOP - the both contain urethane resins as the varnish component. I have used both on flatwork, and the color achieved is the same. I do like the workability of the Minwax better, however.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Scott - When I first started turning, I stuck with what I was used to - in my case it was Watco Danish Oil. Only difference was I went to the 'Natural' version on turnings and it did a great job of bringing out the curl but it did add considerable yellowing to the wood. I also tried the Antique Oil and found it also did a nice job but neither of those 2 finishes would ever give me anything more than a soft final finish - so I eventually experimented with other finishes.

Once I tried the oil-based wipe-on poly products - I stuck with them because they brought out the grain just like the Danish oils but with less yellowing and I was able to build the finish to whatever level needed for the piece. If you like the soft glow and a more natural wood feel (not glass-like) for your turnings - WOP can still be used - just apply very thing coats once the base has been established.

[Prashun Patel]

I'm not an expert, but my opinion is that it is not really the OIL, but the COLOR that usually accompanies oil or oil-based finishes that is the key to popping grain.

BLO is usually the choice because it's cheap and dark.

Amber/garnet shellac does a reasonable job of popping grain too. However, (and this is just a theory) it can seal the pores too quickly, preventing the color from being preferentially absorbed in the porous parts. That's probably the reason it's often used as a prestain conditioner.

Dye is really the 'best' choice to maximize grain pop, but it takes work. Dye contains no binder, so it penetrates well and deep - so well, that the non-porous parts will also absorb a lot of color, which then must be sanded back. Sanding back will remove all but the deepest color in the curl.

There's a great article on FWW called "Pop the Curl in Curly Maple" by Jeff Jewitt that informed and trumps everything I've said above.

[Norm Zax]

FYI - Tung Oil Finiish is just a name; the oil in it is linseed oil."

The same can be said for many of the "tung oil" finishes, including Formby's, and Antique Oil. They are all varnish blends.



Tung oil is made from the pressed seed from the nut of the tung tree (Vernicia fordii), a tree native to China, Burma and Vietnam. Unfortunately, producers have abused the term "tung oil finish" to include finish mixtures that give a similar look, to the point that some actually don't include Tung oil at all.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...high gloss is not really an option with an oil/varnish blend..."

I would love to know who made this ludicrous statement. I can polish wood to a mirror finish using an oil/ varnish mix and have done it many times.

[Prashun Patel]

I would love to know who made this ludicrous statement.

As proved in Mythbusters, you can polish a 'turd' to a reasonable gloss given enough time and the right friction/polish.

I think the statement probably comes from the flatwork world, where careful, successive polishing on larger pieces might be difficult.