Antique mahogany table

[Randy Turner]

Absolutely beautiful wood but someone refinished the top and just brushed on a single coat of polyurethane. There are 5 leaves and the base which didn't get refinished and none of it matches so it's all getting stripped. Did I mention this is beautiful wood?

We're not after a glossy finish and would rather have something that allows you to feel the grain but still protects it. I was leaning towards a Danish Oil with wax but couldn't find one that really gave me that reddish-brown color and was trying to find a stain that I could put on under the Danish Oil when I read about Odies Oil. He sent me some pics of it on mahogany and it looks great but while I only paid $200 for this beautiful table I'm not interested in screwing it up.

It's stripped down to bare wood now? Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Steve Schoene]

Odie's oil sure seems like snake oil being sold at outrageous prices.

If you actually have a project, I'd use a powdered water soluble dye to achieve the color you want. You could use a simple schedule with a color like "brown mahogany" followed with a mix of oil and varnish--ie. Danish oil. A good mix is equal parts boiled linseed oil (BLO), oil based varnish, and mineral spirits. To mix the dye, make sure you test the entire system including top coat before working on places that show. (The underside of stripped leaves make good test beds.)

There are other schedules that give a richer look if you wish. Just ask.

[Randy Turner]

Odie's oil sure seems like snake oil being sold at outrageous prices.

If you actually have a project, I'd use a powdered water soluble dye to achieve the color you want. You could use a simple schedule with a color like "brown mahogany" followed with a mix of oil and varnish--ie. Danish oil. A good mix is equal parts boiled linseed oil (BLO), oil based varnish, and mineral spirits. To mix the dye, make sure you test the entire system including top coat before working on places that show. (The underside of stripped leaves make good test beds.)

There are other schedules that give a richer look if you wish. Just ask.

Thanks for the response. Rich is really what we're after and yes,I actually have a project.

Odie's stuff seems to have a following. I'd never heard of it and the prices made me jump a little too but who knows? At that price though I can't really test a spot to see. Your method...is that mix what you use for Danish Oil or are you saying mix that with the dye then use say Deft Danish Oil on top? I'd really like to get the rich reddish color we traditionally see with mahogany and bring the grain out as well.

I have plenty of leaves to test it on, that's for sure.

[Rich Enders]

Randy,

Use of dye like Steve suggested worked well for me in obtaining a reddish brown mahogany color. I used an alcohol based dye (less grain lifting then water based). The color is Bismark Brown Mahogany #350 from Lockwood. The dye was diluted at 7 grams powder per 448 grams of alcohol. You can flood it on and then wipe it dry. After drying for an hour I sealed it very lightly with sprayed shellac. This was followed with Bartleys Espresso Gel Stain. It can be applied liberally and then wiped off aggressively (slightly burnished). After drying for a day I sealed this with spray shellac also. I lightly sanded after both shellac coats.

At this point you are ready for whatever finish you prefer.

[John TenEyck]

This sounds like a dining table, correct? If so, you don't want Danish Oil - there just isn't enough (and maybe no) resin in it to offer any real protection against water, etc. Wax won't provide much help in that regard either. I'd do as a couple of others have suggested, dye it first then topcoat with a good varnish. I really like Transtint dyes in alcohol because it doesn't raise the grain. There is a brown mahogany one, maybe a red mahogany one, and definitely a pure red one that you could add to the brown mahogany to make it redder, if desired. I like spraying them on, but you can just flood them on by hand, too. If you like the feel of the grain then there's no need to fill the grain. So, after the dye is dry you can apply any choice of topcoat you want. I really like Arm-R-Seal wiping varnish, others here like Pratt and Lambert #38 and/or Waterlox original a lot. I also like spraying General Finishes EnduroVar or Hi Perf. Poly. The solvent based products can go directly over the Transtint dye, but if you choose a WB product you should either spray it on or apply a solvent based sealer first, otherwise it will pick up some of the dye and make a muddy mess. Sprayed on they are fine.

John

[Randy Turner]

Thanks for the responses. It was a large dining table but won't be used for that except at Thanksgiving and will be covered then. I'm thinking a good wax would be sufficient but I'm not married to that approach. I can't spray and I'm not real happy with my polyurethane experience. I don't mind lots of work to make it what I want which led me to Danish Oil and wax. I've used Watco before on walnut and liked the results 10 years later so I am.leaning that way but as I said...I'm not married to that plan. I've read a lot about those other wipe-on varnishes so I'll look into the tint you suggested. I hadn't heard of the alcohol based stuff before. Thanks

[Randy Turner]

The base had so many grooves in the legs and nothing I had seemed to put a reasonable dent in whatever finish had been on this table for a very long time I took it to a refinisher to strip it. He sanded a little bit of it after getting the finish off and this is the most beautiful red mahogany I've ever seen. Not a drop of stain or dye required. After studying the Waterlox I think that'll be my choice. Probably thin it 50-50 with Mineral Spirits the first two coats to really get the grain showing then another 4 coats of satin Original Sealer Finish. Thank God I live in Texas where it's only a short hour drive to get some of the original vs. low VOC. Thanks for the advice and if you have any other critique or suggestions please feel free! I'll add pics as it goes along.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I used Waterlox on my Computer desk, looks great (in my opinion), at least the parts that are visible and not buried under my pile of papers.

[Alan Lightstone]

Here's a finishing regimen that I use for Mahogany and Sapele. I find it is pretty foolproof, and works pretty well:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/wiping-varnish-the-only-finish-you%E2%80%99ll-ever-need.aspx

Sometimes I'll modify the color a little with transtint dyes as a first step. Try some (like red mahogany, and dark vintage maple) on a test piece, then add a few coats of Waterlox.

[Randy Turner]

Okay, went with the Waterlox Original Finish Sealer. Sanded it down to bare wood with final sanding to 220 grit and put on first coat with a brush. No bubbles and nice absorption, except there are a couple places which look like I put on twice as much as the rest of the wood. It almost looks like I had applied 2-3 coats in those areas as the others after 17 hours. Not tack at all but I'm waiting the full 24 hours before applying the second coat. Nothing got burnished during sanding and it appears to have good penetration and adherence it's just thicker than the rest of the table. Any suggestions or is this not a problem? Never used Waterlox before but it seems the basics are the same as any other finish so I'm hoping I just got it on a little thicker.

It's producing a beautiful color on this old mahogany so we're so happy we didn't stain or dye this wood.

[David Hawxhurst]

the first couple of coats will absorb differently and that is normal. after about 3 coats the it should have a even look.

[Randy Turner]

the first couple of coats will absorb differently and that is normal. after about 3 coats the it should have a even look.
Thanks. And thanks for your service

[Randy Turner]

5 coats and it is beautiful! But...after a week under a ceiling fan inside it still seems a little tacky. I waited 24+ hours between coats and it was dry to the touch. Applied all coats with a good brush and there's no brush marks and no bubbles (This stuff goes on beautifully!) but after a week I don't want to touch it because it while it appears smooth it's not slick. It feels a little tacky even though there's little to no smell remaining. Everything I've read says "be patient!" I can do that but any guesses as to what's going on?