Am I finished?

[Pete Copeland]

So I'm working on finishing a vase made of maple and ebony.

I put on several (six? seven?) thin coats of Minwax Natural (209). After the final coat sat for a few days, I used the Novus polishing system (all three applications). This is a a procedure that I have had success with in the past.

Unfortunately, I'm not happy with what I've got now. The finish is not even with what seems like some "bald" spots (especially on the ebony). This is either a consequence of uneven application or uneven polishing (I suspect the former). It seems this piece might benefit from additional coats of 209.

BUT, HERE'S THE QUESTION: Has the application of the Novus polishing pastes contaminated the surface for future applications of 209? Would cleaning the surface (I'm guessing with mineral spirits or soap and water) help?

a) Should I be satisfied with what I've got because additional coats of finish will not make it better due to the presence of the Novus paste?
b) Should I clean the surface and then add more 209?
c) should I just put some more 209 on straightaway?
d) other

Thanks.

-Pete

[John Beaver]

Because of it's density and the oils in it, Ebony can be difficult to finish. Most likely you just polished the finish right off the wood. You might have better luck with a finish like WOP or Lacquer that doesn't need to penetrate as much. After removing the polish (see below) I would add a coat of shellac and then a different finish.

The other option is to just remove the finish on the Ebony completely and buff it. Often with Ebony I add a light coat of shellac to fill the pores in the end grain, sand it back and polish. Works great!

As to your question about removing the polish paste, I would consult the maker. I know that White Diamond and Tripoli polishes are animal based and are easily removed. Not sure about the Novus products.

Good luck

John

[John Keeton]

What you are using is a stain product that stains and seals the wood, but has very little in the way of solids. It is not truly intended as "a finish", so adding additional coats is adding very little to the "film" on the piece. It is likely you have buffed through the thin coat of "finish" and the bald spots are likely due to seeing unfinished wood. As John B. stated, the ebony doesn't like finish very well anyway, so adhesion is an issue. A true "finish" - like Minwax Wipe on Polyurethane will provide a much better finish on the maple, and John's idea of using shellac as a barrier coat for the maple and a pore sealant on the ebony is a good one. Use de-waxed shellac - SealCoat by Zinsser, which is a 2# cut and is wax free.

[John K Jordan]

The only finish I've been happy with on ebony turnings is also shellac, in the form of Mylands friction polish. However, I don't usually like to make it too glossy or it just looks like cheap plastic. I usually use fine steel wool or pumice to cut any gloss.

I haven't tried SealCoat on ebony but I might now.

As an aside, years ago I tried putting some "danish" oil on some beautiful cocobolo. I won't do that again. In just a few months the cocobolo started turning quite dark and eventually turned as black as ebony!

One thing that does work on dense, oily exotics is TruOil, but I understand it's not really an oil.

JKJ