Padauk finishing advice

[Greg Sznajdruk]

First time poster in Turners Forum new to turning. I've had a block of Padauk siting on a table for a couple of years. So yesterday it became a bowl, my shop is covered with this nasty red fine dust.

I understand that this wood will darken with time so initially thought to use rattle can lacquer or maybe spray shellac.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Greg

[Bill Boehme]

Yes it will change color whether finished or not. Lacquer and shellac are both good finishes. If you use shellac, I would recommend using one of the friction finishes such as Hut Crystal Coat. For spray lacquer I like Deft gloss in the non-rattle can.

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Yes it will change color whether finished or not. Lacquer and shellac are both good finishes. If you use shellac, I would recommend using one of the friction finishes such as Hut Crystal Coat. For spray lacquer I like Deft gloss in the non-rattle can.

What is friction polish?

Greg

[Steve Schlumpf]

Greg - a friction polish is applied with the turning on the lathe. You rub the carnuba based (wax) solution onto the wood, then turn your lathe on. By applying a little pressure to the turning (using a pad), you create heat and that melts the wax and creates a very nice shine/gloss. Unfortunately, the finish doesn't last long and shows anything to do with moisture - such as fingerprints or rain drops.

There are a number of retailers out there that carry this product - this is just for an example: Hut Crystal Coat

[Bill Boehme]

Steve, it seems like everybody says that the shellac friction finishes like HUT Crystal Coat don't hold up well, but that hasn't been my experience. I have some items that I turned over 12 years ago and finished with that product and it still looks as nice as when I first applied the finish. However, I would not recommend it for pens and wine bottle stoppers or things like handles where there is frequent contact with alcohol, oils, lotions,and sweat. BTW, HUT Crystal Coat is a liquid finish that is primarily shellac with a small amount of dissolved wax -- somewhat like a French polish. There may be other products that have a much greater amount of wax. It sounds like you may be thinking of a solid wax bar that is held against the turning. I don't use the shellac/wax products much any more because of the short shelf life. Also, they have raised the price far beyond what I am willing to pay.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bill - glad you've had good experiences with HUT - I have not. Looks great but anytime the piece was handled it left fingerprints. I did have a couple of pieces - back when I was starting out - that managed to get misted on because they were sitting too close to an open window. Any place the water touched left a dull mark on the finish. I have since moved over to using poly and have not revisited using HUT. Maybe now that I have more experience, the end result might be different. Come to think of it, I still have the HUT sitting on the shelf. Wonder if it is still good after 10 years?

[Jason Edwards]

I used to make knifes and used Padauk occasionally for handles. Padauk has a lot of natural resin in it. I never applied any finish. Just sanded it and buffed it a bit. Darkens nicely with use.

[Barry McFadden]

I made a bowl once out of Maple, Cherry, Walnut and Padauk and used WOP for the finish. I found that it dried in a couple of hours on everything except the Padauk. I took days to become tack free on it. I guess because of the oil in the wood.

[Aaron Craven]

Just sticking my nose in...

Friction polish can be one of a number of things, but they're all intended as a quick and easy finish that is similar to (but not at all the same thing as) a true french polish and (as noted) are applied on the lathe using friction to generate heat. Basic ingredients include a film finish (usually shellac or lacquer) and a lubricant (oil, wax, or both).

I occasionally use Doctor's Woodshop High Build Friction Polish (walnut oil + shellac). It's nice and certainly a quick finish, but I find that it lacks something (in terms of look and feel) in comparison to finishes like poly. On the other hand, I find poly to be pretty nasty stuff (I have to use gloves or my hands break out) and the friction polish is much more pleasant to work with (smells a bit like apples to me). So I tend to save poly finishes for important or very nice pieces. Also, when using friction polish, I do like to do a top coat of wax just to buff to a really nice shine.

As with anything, though, YMMV

[Bill Boehme]

.... Come to think of it, I still have the HUT sitting on the shelf. Wonder if it is still good after 10 years?

Sure, Steve, go for it.

I don't recall for certain, but forgetfulness could be one of my attributes. I keep discovering these squirreled away unused bottles of HUT Crystal
Coat showing expiration dates of over a decade ago. It breaks my German-Scotch heart to toss out these perfectly good bottles of finish (if you don't mind a finish that never quite gets hard) so if I can remember where I put them, I will be happy to add them to your inventory.

[robert baccus]

Lacquer works very well on padauk but it turns dark with any finish. Avoid oil or oil containing finishes for sure. This is a very oily wood. The color will run with alcohol and other liquids. Just a hard buffing with a softened out carnuba looks very well also.

[Greg Sznajdruk]

Went to my local LV and got Shellwax cream, a wax based friction polish. A little expensive but great results. The wife likes the result so thats my standard. As far as expensive in retrospect a couple of dabs did the job. So many more turning left in the jar.

Thanks for the input.

Greg

[Jon Nuckles]

I have used BLO on a couple of padauk pieces and really liked the dark red color that resulted. One of the pieces didn't get a top coat, however, and it darkened further with time and continually produced a white efflorescence. The white wipes off easily, but always returns, even after a couple of years. The other piece got a french polish over the BLO and did not darken or produce the white while I had it. I gave that piece away, so don't know how it held up over time.

[robert baccus]

Shellwax may look good at first but alcohol(toddies) and water will ruin it. Alcohol is the natural solvent for shellac.