Finishing Suggestions for a Flag Case

[Andy Haney]

Getting near the end on building a flag case for my Dad's flag, made of walnut and cherry he and I harvested together years ago, and have a couple of questions:

1. What are your opinions about finish materials? I was strongly considering a hand-rubbed tung oil (one of his favorites).

2. As he was an Army pilot, I'm looking for a "high quality" digital image of a "Huey" helicopter. By high quality, I mean a specific "format" (wish I remembered what format) that a local trophy shop uses for laser engraving. They can etch the image into the glass for me, and I thought that would be a nice touch.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Andy

[scott spencer]

I prefer to use an oil finish on cherry and walnut, whether it's tung oil, BLO, or a Danish oil.

[john whittaker]

Andy...I think the glass etching is a good idea & will look great. Nice project.

FWIW..I just put some Tur-Oil on several walnut gun stocks and was very pleased with the look. It was very easy to apply and I was even able to fill the pours by applying the first several coats with wet/dry fine grit sandpaper. Tru-Oil is a formulation of BLO and "other oils". It drys fast so building a finish doesn't take too long. Some folks finish guitars with it and they look great. It's made by Birchwood Casey and I got mine from Woodcraft.

Please post some pics when its done.

[Steve Schoene]

What ever you use on the exterior your only practical choice for the interior is shellac. Shellac is more effective than other available finishes at blocking the acid vapors from the woods. In the closed case these can accelerate the deterioration of the fabric. It will take more than a wash coat. You want to build a meaningfully thick film to completely encase the interior wood.

Shellac would be attractive for the exterior, but not so essential.