Finish for Rosewood

[Brent Smith]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to "The Creek" (hope no one minds a newbie using the name)and after checking it out for a couple of weeks,I'm amazed by the amount of knowledge here. I have to admit,my woodworking is mostly power,but over the last couple of years I've been slowly using and enjoying hand tools more and more. Just so everyone knows,although I've been woodworking for years, I'm completely new to computers, so please don't be offended if my replys and questions seem curt or uncaring. I'm one of those people that types with one finger and has to look for every letter.
Enough of that,on to the question at hand. I'm making a small table out of indian rosewood(never worked with it before) and am hoping for some assistance as far as the finish goes. It does not have to be very durable as the table will be used only to display an art object and will not be put to everyday use. I would like the finish to really make the grain pop and show off the colors in the wood. My idea so far is lacquer, but I'm definately open to any suggestions.

Thanks for any help you can give,
Brent

[Mike Cutler]

Brent. Welcome to the "creek. The lacquer idea sounds good to me. I also like the wipe on varnishes, such as Tru-Oil, and General Finishes Arm-R-Seal. I read a favorable post about the Bullseye French Polish, but haven't used it myself.
Not much help I guess, but once again welcome,
P.S. Don't worry to much about the typing skills, I'm up to two fingers on each hand, but still only type about 10 words a minute, 5 if I have to correct mistakes :eek:

[Brent Smith]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the input. I was also thinking about the Bullseye, but like you haven't used it before.Another thing I was considering was danish oil but I'm not sure that an oily wood like rosewood would soak it in properly. Gotta tell you, I love working with wood but finishing has never been a strong point with me. Hopefully some of the other members who have finished rosewood can steer me in the right direction.And thanks for the welcome.
Brent

[Jim W. White]

Welcome! :D

I really like the General Finishes "Seal-a-cell" clear. Adds no perceptable coloration and REALLY pops the grain nicely!!

If it does not require a lot of protection from use (while they are fine products in their own right) I would think the aforementioned finishes in the above posts would be way overkill. Instead let the Seal-a-cell dry for ~72 hours and hit it with a simple water based poly of your choosing. The water based poly goes on perfectly clear and does not yellow with time.

My 2 cents :o ,

Jim W

[Spence DePauw]

I used rosewood for some small projects. I've had good luck with shellac. Here's my process (stolen from somewhere or other... not original with me)

Sand well to at least 220. Like most finishes, sanding goofs will show real well later :D

I use Zinser sealcoat, I think its a 2 lb cut dewaxed product, thinned 1:1 with denatured alcohol, to make something like a 1 lb cut.

I wipe on one coat pretty liberally, and let dry for several hours. I use either the 'rags in a box' paper towels, or a piece of T-shirt material to wipe on. Nothing fancy.

Rub out with steel wool (0000) or use the 3M pads until "baby butt" smooth.

Then wipe on at least 4 more coats. I do this in a day usually, about 2 hours apart. Let that rest for at least two days, to cure.

Than, rub out again with steel wool, and apply four more coats (close together is OK)

Than wait at least two more days, and rub out with steel wool again, looking for an even sheen. Then wax, using steel wool to apply.

Marking gage pictured was finished that way, although since it's a prototype, I didn't take as much care as I would have a "real piece.

Just my experience...
Spence

[Brent Smith]

Jim and Spence,
Thanks for the info.Both ideas sound good and I'm going to try on some scrap to see how they look.And Spence, that's a beautiful marking gauge.
Brent

[Jerry Clark]

I have used rosewood and recently made kaleidoscopes-- I sanded to 400 and sprayed gloss Deft lacquer and everyone loved them.

[Brent Smith]

Hi Jerry,
That was my original idea.How many coats did you use,and did you sand between coats? Thanks for the input.
Brent

[Charlie Plesums]

General note on finishing - not just for Rosewood.

Varnish stays in layers, must dry between layers, and may need light sanding to scratch the surface so the next layer sticks. The drying is a chemical reaction, not just the evaporation of the solvent.

Lacquer (and shellac) are solvent based - the solvent evaporates, the layers blend together, and the next layer softens and blends with the previous layer. If you thin for easier application, you will need more coats, but since they blend together you will only have one combined coat when done. Since the solvent joins the new layer with previous layers, the only reason you need to sand between layers is to ask forgiveness. If you have a drool or other problem, you can sand it out before applying the next layer, but you don't need to sand for adhesion.

[Brent Smith]

Hi Charlie,
Thanks for the info, as I said previously, finishing is not my forte. It's seeming more and more that lacquer is the way to go for the result I want.
Brent

[Steve Wargo]

I really don't think you want to use urethane. Not only doed it not adhere to Rosewood well, it takes forever to dry, and it will cause the rosewood to darken almost to a black. this is just from personal experiance. Shellac or lacquer is the way to go.

[Brent Smith]

Hi Steve,
That's exactly the type of info I need.Knowing that someone else has used a product that left a less than satisfactory result will definately keep me from making the same mistake.
Thanks for the info,
Brent

[jerry mayfield]

Shellack would work well on your table. I have used orange shellack on rosewood
and it turned out great. Don't be concerned if if the shellac has wax ,this is only a problem if you are putting polyurathane varnish over it (which you shouldn't do anyway).

regards

jerry

[Brent Smith]

Hi Jerry,
Thanks for the info.How many coats did you use and did you use any sort of sealer under the shellac?
Thanks,
Brent

[jerry mayfield]

The first coat of any finish is a sealer. One " coat " of shellac, since each layer of shellac disolves the previos layer ther is in reality -one coat.Put on as much as you care to,when dry Lightly sand with 320g sandpaper. It will look fine.

Good Luck
Jerry