Finishing Maple Cradle

[David Bodkin]

I've been working on a cradle for my daughter who is due in Jan but I cannot decide on a finish for it. It's made of regular soft maple...no stripes or bird's eye. I can't figure out what finish I want to use on it. I want something safe so I will probably use some shellac but other than that I don't know. So, I was wondering what finishes you all might suggest? This is my first time working with maple so I don't have much experience with it. I've looked around some on the forum but haven't had much luck finding info on finishing regular maple.

Thanks!
David

[Todd Burch]

What are your capabilities for applying a finish? (What equipment do you have?) What color (approx.) do you want it? Got a picture?

You didn't indicate if you wanted to stain it, dye it, paint it or just clear it.

Are you trying to match / coordinate with anything else? Do you need to hide any mistakes or emphasize any joinery?

There are thousands of options. Narrow it down for us.

Todd

[Jim Becker]

All finishes sold today are "safe" when fully cured. That said, shellac is a great finish and if you use a blond or super blond version you'll have very little alteration of the color of your maple. If your cradle is one of the designs that features a lot of detail and/or spindles, it will likely be best if you have spray capability, however. If note, consider using a wiping varnish. Mix any oil-based varnish of your choice 50/50 with mineral spirits and apply using a lint-free towel or rag. You'll need 8-12 coats to approximately equal 2-3 brushed on coats, but you'll have a nice, easy to apply finish.

[Steve Schoene]

Once they have fully cured (around a month) any clear finish will be fine as far as safety goes.

Your first question is how dark you want the maple--very light contemporary look, darker amber aged look, very dark "expresso" or even a bright primary color. Maple is a wood that tends to blotch with pigmented stains. The best solution for that, if you want to add color, is to use a powdered analine dye mixed with water. The dye blotches less, and can be used to achieve any degree of darkness desired. It needs to be applied liberally--full wet with excess wiped off. A sponge is a good applicator. The color is controlled by how concentrated the mix is, not by how much you apply.

The simplest finish after the dye has dried is to apply a number of coats of Waterlox wipe on varnish, or the equivalent you can make yourself by thinning full strength varnish.

[David Bodkin]

I don't have any spraying capabilities so I stuck using a brush or rag. Unfortunately, I'm not really sure what I want...which I know doesn't help. I tend to like darker finishes but have heard that maple can blotch so I'm worried about staining or dying it. I don't have any fancy joinery or anything is a simple shaker-style cradle.

[Jim Becker]

David, if you want to go darker, use a water soluble dye followed by a seal coat of de-waxed shellac. The dye is much less likely to "blotch". Follow all that with a wiped on finish of your choice and you're good to go. PRACTICE the whole regimen on a piece of scrap from your project first... ;)

[David Bodkin]

Ok, I'll give that a try on some scrap. Thanks!