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Thread: Need Cherry Help...

  1. #1

    Need Cherry Help...

    I want to finish some cherry boxes with something that will bring out and maybe darken the grain a bit. I've used Amber Shellac and like the look, but not the finish and cure time. I've also used Arm-R-Seal and like that, but I want to use waterborne poly over it. Suggestions?

  2. #2
    I use Red Devil Lye (1-3 TBS/1/2 gallon water) Wear gloves.

    Re-sand with grey abrasive pad. Top with 3-5 coats WB poly.

  3. #3
    Derek, I really like Watco Danish Oil, natural, on cherry. I've used it on many projects, it really pops the color. I have used water borne poly and it works well, my most frequent is spray on lacquer, rattle can.

  4. #4
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    I typically use a coat or two of garnet shellac, followed by GF High performance topcoat. But for the desks I'm currently building, I wanted to go 100% waterborne since I wanted to avoid having to work in the garage during the winter to deal with the shellac. So I experimented with some options and found that two coats of GF endurovar with the addition 3 drops of transtint brown mahagonay per oz of enduro-var, followed by one coat of straight enduro-var gave me a finish very close to what my shellac approach did. The addition of the transtint enhances the grain a bit, and warms the color a bit. Enduro-var on it's own has a slight amber tint, but it wasn't quite enough to get the effect I was after.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  5. #5
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    WATCO danish oil (a mixture of BLO and varnish) also comes in a cherry tone, which adds some color and evens out the tones. I've used it on some cherry boxes some time ago without any additional topcoat, and they're a very warm, dark color now with aging.

    cherry.jpg

  6. #6
    There's no problem with the WB over the oil?
    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Marchbanks View Post
    Derek, I really like Watco Danish Oil, natural, on cherry. I've used it on many projects, it really pops the color. I have used water borne poly and it works well, my most frequent is spray on lacquer, rattle can.

  7. #7
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    WB Poly (or better, Target EM2000wvx) over (dewaxed) amber or garnet shellac.

  8. #8
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    I'm confused. The cure time of shellac is almost instant, faster than most anything except solvent based lacquer. Arm-R-Seal is like the tortoise in comparison. Same with Danish Oil. They look great on cherry, just not a quick process nor one to undertake in your living space.

    You can add Transtint dye to shellac and make any color you want. One of my common finish techniques is to add Transtint to Sealcoat and then topcoat that with WB poly or acrylic. Of course, you can add Transtint to WB finishes, too, as already discussed. The advantage of using shellac is it doesn't raise the grain, it dries faster, and it's great as a wipe on finish (or spray).

    John

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Arita View Post
    There's no problem with the WB over the oil?
    Danish oil isn't an "oil", per se, and it does cure. But that or BLO or Tung (real stuff) will all do the same things and a best practice is a thin barrier coat of wax-free shellac before applying waterborne top coats.

    I'm with John about the shellac, too. It's an evaporative finish and doesn't cure at all. It just dries and very quickly at that, which is why you can't apply it like varnish. The best shellac finish is the thinest one that will do the job. A thick coating can lead to cracking and can also make it seem like it's taking longer to dry because the alcohol in a very thick application has to work hard to escape.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  10. #10
    Maybe my shellac coats are too thick. After a couple of days of sitting, if I put one piece on top of another finished piece, the parts kinda stick together, very very slightly, but I can feel it.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Arita View Post
    Maybe my shellac coats are too thick. After a couple of days of sitting, if I put one piece on top of another finished piece, the parts kinda stick together, very very slightly, but I can feel it.
    It may be that your shellac is old; it has a fairly short shelf life, even seal-coat. The classic test is drip a drop of shellac on a piece of glass. If it doesn't get fully hard in a couple hours, the shellac is past its prime. As John said, a thin coat dries to touch very quickly, and should be sandable to a white powder in a few hours unless its very cold or humid.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  12. #12
    Paul, that could be the case, cuz it is at least 5 or more years old. That would explain it. I can tell you, it wasn't sandable till the next day.

  13. #13
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    Yes, your shellac is way too old. Freshly made shellac is nicely sandable in 30 minutes most of the time.

  14. #14
    I have never had a problem with WB and wondered about at first. I have also tried other Watco colors on cherry but "natural is my favorite. I've also used it on oak and maple depending on what look I want. You do want to let the watco cure first, two days has always worked for me, especially in the summer. My shop is heated and I never go more than two days even in winter sometimes less.

  15. #15
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    shellac in spray cans is a good way to apply thin coats on small boxes or complicated surfaces.

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