finishing walnut followup..

[chris fox]

I spent a good 45 minutes reading up previos posts about fiinishing walnut. I have done some tests and pretty happy with a mix of 1/3 BLO, 1/3 MS and 1/3 Poly. With 3-4 coats.
Questions are:
1. non need to sand inbetween coats right? oil dosent sand well.
2. I plan to finish to 220 grit - any need to go higher. Typically I sand to 220 for poly topcoat only.
3. I then plan to finish off with a coat of shellac 1# cut - brush.

The project is a bathroom vanity.
Does this sound like a good plan? I have use danish oil with a top coat of Brix wax for a laterial file and book case, but since the lateral file ended up being a dump area for cell phones, laptop and other junk the finish is dull and taken some abuse.

thanks chris

[Prashun Patel]

If yr mix contains poly, I'm not sure why you want to top with shellac. I love how shellac rubs out as much as the next guy, but in a bathroom, and over a softer finish like an oil/poly blend, I probably wouldn't do it.

If anything, I might use orange or amber shellac first to warm the walnut (and to improve the vapor barrier of the finish) and then I'd top with poly/ms at 50/50. Shellacing on top of the oil seems to defeat the purpose.

I probably would omit the BLO altogether. Too soft for this app?

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Shawn, the shellac adds nothing outside of some color, for the most part. Why do you want to top coat with it?

[chris fox]

I guess the thinking of shellac as a topcoat was for the protection. Point taken about the poly being the protector.
With the 50/50 mix is this pretty much considered a "wipe on" poly?
In the previous post, some mentioned the dark garnet shellac for the deep colors it has on Walnut but thinking this may give me the "old world" look vs. the modern european look/design of the piece. Amber might be the way to go over dark.

As always thanks..

[Jim Becker]

The varnish in your mixture provides a film finish. As an alternative to your 33/33/33 formula, consider (and test) using the BLO by itself on the walnut, add the shellac (dewaxed if you still plan on using poly rather than non-poly varnish) and then top coat with the 50/50 mixture of MS and varnish. This moves you from a "danish oil" type finish to a wipe-on varnish finish.

When I finish walnut, I do oil, shellac and then if I want, my top-coat. No oil and just shellac is also quite nice...depends on the material.

[Steve Schoene]

I like Jim's suggestions.

And oil/varnish finish as initially proposed doesn't make for very good vanity protection, though it certainly could be sued if you understand the limitations, and are ready to renew the finish every few years as it oxidizes and dulls.

But when you talk about sanding between coats, it suggests a problem. The proceedure for applying oil/varnish is to apply, let penetrate for a short time, and then vigorously wipe off the surface to remove all excess material. Sanding the first coat with 400 grit, or applying the second coat with a wet/dry sand paper does eliminate the small amount of grain raised by the first coat. But still you must wipe off any of the mix remaining on the surface. If it is left on the surface it will be soft and gummy--as you say oil doesn't sand well.

Shellac as an undercoat--perhaps sealing the single coat of BLO--provides a bit extra water vapor barrier. But, shellac as a top coat is susceptible to water damage in a way that varnish is not. If you want to build any film, that film should be varnish.

[chris fox]

After some tests, I really like the richness of the BLO. The shellac is nice too and is a huge factor in the limited time I have - 3 coats in a day.
I nregards to shellac not being a good water repelant I thought shellac was the ultimate protector since it can be used on other materials??

As of now, BLO topcoated with 50/50 MS and poly looks like my best bet.

A question from earlier, is "wipe on" poly basically thinned poly?

[Jim Becker]

Every finish has certain properties. Shellac is an excellent moisture barrier but not a water barrier...it's easily damaged by standing water. Don't confuse its beauty and ablity to stick to almost anything and act as an excellent barrier coat with it's "protective" qualities. Varnish, on the other hand, isn't generally damaged by the water (unless it gets under the finish). And yes, "wipe on" varnish (poly or not) is just thinned varnish or poly varnish.