Easy Cherry Finish

[John Lohmann]

I'm looking for a good easy way to finish cherry, I have no sprayer or real finishing experience.
Thanks,
John

[john whittaker]

Give us more info John, What type of project are you finishing. What it is and how it will be used will make a difference on the type of finish to use.

[John Lohmann]

I'm looking for a good easy way to finish cherry, I have no sprayer or real finishing experience.
Thanks,
John
Blanket chest with cherry ply & cherry molding I don;t know if this how to reply or not.
John

[John Timberlake]

I really like the look of garnet shellac on cherry. It adds some of the color that will come naturally withoug hiding any of the grain. Only problem is that it will take a lot of coats.

[Jim Becker]

BLO followed by garnet shellac a few days later will give you a very pleasing finish that is also easy to repair. If you don't fancy learning how to apply shellac, you can use a wipe-on varnish for a nice finish. I suggest you mix your own...50/50 is a good ratio of varnish to mineral spirits. Don't use polyurethane if you can source an alkyd varnish...you'll get a much nicer result, IMHO.

[John Lohmann]

Can this be easily applied by foam brush, paint brush or rag? I live in north GA I can find whatever I need. It will take 6 days to build & I need it by Xmas.
Thanks Again,
John

[Jim Becker]

BLO with a rag. Shellac with a "good" brush or padded on if you learn the technique. Wiping varnish is...wiped on with a clean, lint-free rag or soft paper towel with the same properties. In all cases where a rag/towel is used, please dispose of the material property to avoid fire caused by spontanious combustion. I hang mine to "dry" on a big spike that exists on a stone wall away from my shop building. Only when they are hard do they go in the trash.

[John Lohmann]

No prob here we have storm drains.
John

[Jeffrey Schronce]

I would suggest skipping the BLO or using a very thin coat and quickly wiped off. I agree with the use of Garnet shellac. It helps even your color out on your project without imparting a grain blocking effect. I usually will use one or two coats of garnet shellac, though I dewax my shellac so I can use additional finishes if desired. You will not have time to dewax shellac thoroughly, so I'd stick with BLO, 3 coats of garnet shellac and finish with paste wax.
Good luck. Christmas projects under the gun are the best! :)

[John Lohmann]

Is there a brand name that can be attached to garnet shellac, BLO or do you boil it yourself? I've heard waterlox is good is that true? The wood is beautiful it dosen't need much but I don't want poly.
Thaks,
John

[Jim Becker]

John, garnet shellac is usually sold as flakes...Homestead Finishing is a good source. Shellac is disolved and carried by alcohol and the ratio of alcohol to shellac by weight is how you judge it's viscosity.

BLO is just linseed oil with metalic driers...it's just called "boiled" because a long time ago, heating was used to make raw linseed oil cure faster before chemicals were available to help with the same. It's cheap and you can buy it at the 'borg. Some folks, including me, tend to heat it a little in a water bath to make it soak in better, but it works just fine without that, too.

Waterlox is a very nice finish. It's a phenolic resin varnish and contains no polyurethane.

Given your short time schedule, I agree with Jeffery that BLO followed by shellac is going to go fast. To make it easier for you, since you'll not coat with anything poly, just buy regular orange shellac at the 'borg and a GOOD natural bristle brush to apply it. (Don't forget alcohol for clean-up) Apply the oil lightly and let it cure for a day or two. Then apply your first coat of shellac...don't overbrush it! You may need to thin the canned shellac a little ...."Seal Coat" (dewaxed) is a two lb cut, but I believe the orange shellac is a heavier 3 lb cut. Try this on some scraps first, however, so you get the hang of brushing the shellac...it's NOT the same as varnish. You can recoat after about an hour or so...use thin coats and be done with it. Be sure to lightly knock off the sharp corners on your project with 320 grit paper before you start to help avoid finishing issues around them. You can also knock down and fibers or dust nibs between coats with the same 320 grit between coats. Wax with 0000 steel wool when you are done.

[Jerry Olexa]

Agee w Jim's regimen. Its easy, relatively Fast and Looks good. Shows off the natural beauty of this fine wood!

[John Lohmann]

Thanks Guys for your help.

[larry merlau]

john by all means pratice brushing the shellac it can get sticky quickly!