Help with Lamp Finish

[Ron Robinson]

I am about to begin finishing a pair of lamps I made from cherry. I haven't decided on a finish after trying several tests.

BLO
BLO + Amber Shellac
Conditioner + Stain
Conditioner + Stain + Shellac
Tung Oil

I have some garnet shellac coming via Brown any day and am going to try that.

What have some of you used for cherry?

Will the heat of the light bulbs in the lamp affect my finish decision? Can I wax the lamps?

Any advice appreciated.

Ron


26054

[Jim Becker]

My cherry finish always starts with BLO. That is usually followed by de-waxed garnet shellac unless I'm just doing a BLO and wax finish. If I go beyond the shellac, it's generally waterbourn acrylic from Target Coatings, although I will occasionally use something oil based on a small object or a turning. I don't let any kind of stain or dye get near cherry with only a few exceptions. (Personal preference only)

Waxing is just fine...it's thin and will not matter much, although on the shade it might not be such a good idea.

BTW, the lamps look very nice.

[John Timberlake]

I usually just use garnet shellac on cherry. That way I don't have to worry about any blotching that you can sometimes get with stains or oils. If I want it darker, I put the shellac on first before I stain. After the shellac, you can put any final finish you want.