Hi all,
I'm working on my first art piece that will incorporate inlays of crotch birch (sample below). The picture might not show it very well but the inlays exhibit great chatoyance and, if finished properly, I hope the inlays to really be an eye catcher for the viewer. This is all new territory for me on this type of finish so I want to figure out the best process to max the chatoyance on these inlays. I would greatly appreciate any input you might have on this process.
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The inlays are cut at 1/8" veneers. I would do several experiments but I only have 1 spare piece of crotch veneer to test with. So I'm wanting to eliminate as many variables as I can prior to an actual test. I can cut that piece into 2 to try an alternative. I will practice the finish schedule on other scrap, to gain experience with the execution.
In general, I'm thinking that the inlays will be finished separately to high gloss and then installed because the whole piece might not be finished to high gloss, to further emphasize the crotch inlay. Haven't made final decision on that yet. Anyone think it will look odd to have a mix of high gloss and a little lower gloss finish in the same piece?
I've found a few sources that were helpful:
- Dave Marks blog post. He uses Seal-a-cell and Arm-R-Seal as his oil finish, under lacquer.
- 2012 SMC thread - tung oil/lacquer has clearest refractive index
- Article on rubbing out finish.
Given what I've read, I'm thinking of using clear lacquer over oil. Here's my current thoughts of my finish process and some questions.
- Sand inlay to 320 (ROS with abranet). Sample in picture is sanded to 320. Would finer grit be beneficial?
- Vacuum, clean with DNA, naptha, etc, to pull dust out of grain.
- Rub Tung oil into wood until dry as possible per Marks article. Let dry and buff hard with 0000 steel wool. If I keep the amount of oil used to a minimum, is there any chance oil will seep thru the veneer to the opposing side, and interfere with gluing inlay into place?
- Apply 1 coat dewaxed shellac. ( #1 cut?) Would a second coat be of any benefit? Should this coat be sanded? Assuming color should be light as possible. Thinking about using this shellac . Would a slightly darker shellac pop the chatoyance better? I've read that some color pops birdseye better.
- Apply 2 coats vinyl sanding sealer. Sand with 320.
- Apply clear gloss lacquer, several coats, lightly sanding between coats.
- Cure for 2-3 weeks.
- Rub out finish per article.
Thanks for your help on this.