Please help me choose a finish for canary wood

[John Huber]

I'm making a vase of canary wood and walnut. I've filled the pores of the woods (mostly the walnut) with Watco wipe-on poly. But it seems to tone the red streaks in the canary an orange tone. I would like to keep the canary colors true. What final finish will do that?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.

[Robert Abulon]

The type of finish that works for me, is one that I got from the better homes and garden's wood magazine, the june/july 2005 issue. Curtis Buchanan, a chairmaker from Tennessee, uses a wipe on finish that consists of equal amounts of mineral spirits, boiled linseed oil, and spar varnish. Just a little of each in glass jar, all mixed up, can go a long way. Like the article talks about more varnish equals easier build of finish. While more mineral spirits makes it easier to wipe on, but, longer to build up. Make sure that you sand your piece smooth enough, though. I learned the first couple of times that it can show imperfection easily. I now use 220, and hand sand with 320 just to make sure. Hope this helps. Have fun. Oh, I almost forgot, make sure it's well ventilated and that you either dry out the rags in a clear, non-combustible area-away from the house or other buildings or toss the rags in a water filled metal bucket. I found out that anything soaked in boiled linseed oil gets hot. I heard that it can get hot enough to ignite into a small fire.

[Steve Schoene]

Linseed oil and spar varnish are both amber finishes to begin with quite similar to the wipe on poly except softer. The oil/varnish mix should never be used to build a film, but should be a "in-the-wood" finish with all excess wiped off. Ultra blonde shellac darkens wood only a little, and for the least possible coloration you could use a waterborne acyrlic that is water clear, and which won't yellow over time. But if this is going to go over an oil based finish the oil based should be allowed to be well cured first.

[John Huber]

Thanks, Steve, for the advice. Can you suggest a brand of waterborne acrylic?