blo

[brad covington]

This is my first finishing project. It is walnut and maple pedestal. I have decided to put BLO on the Walnut then attach the maple trim and apply pale shelac to the whole thing. My question is how many applications of BLO do I need on the walnut and how to I need to sand the BLO applications?

[Jim Becker]

You only need one application of the oil. No sanding is necessary after the BLO...your entire project should be finish sanded before you apply the oil. You may need to lightly sand after your first coat or two of shellac with 320 to knock down any "fuzzies". I'm talking a few quick swipes over any area you can feel any roughness. Your fingers will be your guide on that.

[glenn bradley]

I have decided to put BLO on the Walnut then attach the maple trim

Jim's got you covered on the BLO application. Don't be shy when wiping off the excess and give it plenty of time to dry (sometimes days). Do not get any BLO on surfaces you want to use glue on if that's what you mean by "then attach the maple trim".

[brad covington]

Thanks for the info. I think I got it now.

[brad covington]

Houston we have a problem. I used walnut colored wood filler in a few cracks where the joints did not come together perfect. When I applied blo it sticks out like a sore thumb. What should I use to fill a few cracks, or is there some way to color the wood filler I used. It is only in a few spots.

[Jim Becker]

What should I use to fill a few cracks,

Wood. Really. Slivers of wood are the best filler as they look like wood when you apply the finish. Any commercial filler will never look like wood nor every take coloration the same as wood, no matter what the label says. If you must use a commercial filler, it doesn't go on/in before finishing...it gets used after all but the last finish coats are applied so you can carefully color match it.

[Rick Moyer]

Definitely the wood you used. I recently accidently drilled out thru the side of box I had put some time into (1/8 dowel hole that I didn't sq. up properly), ruining it I thought! I cut a small sliver of the same wood, glued it in, and then made some sawdust of the same wood and put a drop of glue, then sprinkled sawdust over top and now I can't even tell it was there myself! I was pretty pleased with the result, especially being the rookie that I am.

[brad covington]

So you can mix glue and saw dust to fill tiny cracks then sand out?

[Jim Becker]

You can mix glue and sawdust...but the glue may result in a very visible fix as it will not take finish the same way as the wood in most cases. You want to minimize the use of glue for this. For small cracks, consider wet sanding with BLO as this will help deal with them as well as do a little grain filling, too, for a smoother end result. The oil and dust fill the cracks while you are sanding and once the oil cures, it's indestinguishable from the oiled wood. Note that this is for SMALL cracks and gaps. Large ones should be filled with slivers of wood. And yes, even then, the finish can often be the only thing holding them in ultimately...