Finish for gavel

[Trevor Mills]

What's the best finish for a contemporary type gavel turned from figured maple?

[Art Mann]

Nitrocellulose lacquer is what I would use.

[John K Jordan]

What's the best finish for a contemporary type gavel turned from figured maple?

Is it going to be used and abused or just for show? I like an oil/varnish finish that soaks some into the wood. I generally use "Danish" oil. Oil can help show the figure too.

I used that on a number of walnut gavels. I prefer the softer look of several coats of the danish than a glossy film finish.

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JKJ

[Peter Blair]

I suspect a 'hard' finish will be a disaster on the ends of the head if it is struck on any hard surface. I too would recommend a softer finish which soaks into the wood.

[John Keeton]

Having spent 40 years in close proximity to courtroom gavels, my experience is that nearly all of them do have a glossy film finish. The end grain of the head will soak up quite a bit of finish and wear quite well. They are not struck that hard in use as the environment is rarely loud. In fact, their use is really quite limited. I made a gavel for a local judge 2-3 years ago and used WOP.

[Peter Blair]

Thanks John this clears up the finishing question for me. A local fellow is planning on making one in my shop and now I can tell hime with confidence what to use for a finish.

[Trevor Mills]

Thanks everyone. I mostly turn bowls and my finish is usually a simple walnut oil or sometimes a polymerized tung oil for platters. The client specifically said he doesn't want a typical gavel but something simple and more modern. I turned a design he liked and from the responses here, it sounds like I have options, so I'll experiment with a couple of them.

[John L. (Rusty) Smith]

I build at least one gavel per year for brother Masons and I like several coats of Tru Oil gunstock finish. Hand rubbed.

[John K Jordan]

I build at least one gavel per year for brother Masons and I like several coats of Tru Oil gunstock finish. Hand rubbed.

Ah, TruOil, another Mason secret is out. :)

I love using TruOil on a variety of things, especially things that get handled a lot. One hint for those who haven't used it - once opened the bottle will set up quicker than a lot of other finishes. It will also evaporate through the plastic bottle, as evidenced by the sides of the bottle collapsing inwards. After opening, I transfer the contents to a glass bottle and fill the space at the top with nitrogen gas. Argon would also be good, and comes in a handy (but expensive) can sold as Bloxygen. The finish keeps for years like this.

JKJ