Finishing Curly Maple

Re: Finishing Curly Maple

Lee Schierer McKean, PA

I prefer clear brushing lacquer on curly maple. I know others may disagree but I see no need for stain on curly maple. The photo is a small box made from curly maple with no stain.

Lee

Yes

John in NM

That is exactly the trouble with surface treatments.

Maple is tough, it tends to show the faults of every method.

I've had good luck using chemical treatments that react with the small amount of tannin in maple, but the results are really variable. You get different shades from different boards, so its really only reliable with single board projects.

Gel stains or artist oil paints are a pretty good option. I find you have to be able to mix your own color to some extent, I rarely find a straight color from any manufacturer that I really like. Gel stains are good because they combine the light fastness of mineral pigments with the ability to control penetration in curly woods, so you shouldn't get the blotching problems you often see with other methods.

I've also used transtint dyes in alcohol & shellac with good results. The dyes are probably not very colorfast though, I've never looked that up. If that doesn't matter to you, dye may be the best way to go.

Re: Yes

Tom Norton

The one technique using dye is quite interesting. After applying and dry you resend then apply again and sand. Working your way to the effect you desire.

Re: Finishing Curly Maple

Jesse Cloud

A glaze by definition is placed on top of a sealer, usually shellac, and then covered with another coat. The sealer and the glaze need to use different solvents.

Often there may be several layers in play as you dial in just the right effect.

Personally, I think the less you do to curly maple the better. I usually take the simple approach of some type of oil to bring out the chattoyance and after a long cure a good hard topcoat.

I often use a schedule of several glaze treatments on walnut to even out color differences.

Re: Finishing Curly Maple

David Yoho

There have been times I simply went with a clear topcoat on curly maple and others when I wanted the figure to "pop". I used a combination of water soluble Lockwood dyes. In the attached photo, I started with a basic brown dye. I applied it liberally and sanded the surface back to bare wood. The dye remains in the figure. Next I mixed a few colors of Lockwood dyes to get a basic "cherry" tone for the final go. This is followed by a clear topcoat.

I've also started out with a light color to highlight the figure, sanded back, and applied a clear topcoat. It's all in what you like or want. Experiment before committing to your project.

Re: Finishing Curly Maple

Howie

I've worked quire a bit with curly maple and I agree that this beautiful wood does not need much to let it stand out. I will most often use a straight shellac finish which highlights the figure. Any of the brown tone stains whether water or oil will also work, whether you simply apply one color and then topcoat or apply one color, sand and then either topcoat or apply another color. Glazing stains sit on type of a seal coat, or a bit thick and I would think that this would actually obscure the curl from showing through.

Re: Finishing Curly Maple

Tony - Memphis

I use a glaze on cherry (I know I know) sometimes. The color is gorgeous, but it is such a pain in the rear, I try to avoid it. I apply a sealer coat first. Then I use a gel stain as my glaze. My issue is getting the glaze even and smooth. Then trying not to rub through. It is very difficult (for me). I love the color, but.... I would imagine glazing maple would be harder because of the greater contrast. Experiment, but include some corners and curves in your test pieces. Those tend to be more difficult.

I have used glazing for other effects (not just an overall color adjustment) and had good luck with it.

You might look at Glenn Huey's stuff - he uses a lot of tiger maple and it always looks great. Not sure you could do much better than the pic Mr. Yoho posted though - wow!!!

Beautiful!

Tony - Memphis

Wow, that is just beautiful - color and craftsmanship! I like the red tone of it a lot. Very nice.

I'm often amazed at what the bright sunlight does to a piece. Sometimes, when I bring something out of the shop to the house, I see the sun hit it and it is like a totally different color. Pretty neat. Maybe I need new lighting in the shop? My wife is an artist and she demands very good quality lighting, maybe I should too!? I'll have to save up.

Re: Beautiful!

David Yoho

Thank you, Tony. I appreciate your kind words. Oddly enough it was about the time I built the first one of these that I met Glen Huey at a local woodworking show. He was kind enough to share a lot of tips and tricks with me. I actually got the "recipe" for the color from another furniture maker I met back then. Later I built another chest for a client who had mahogany furnishings I had to match, which led to me changing the "recipe" for a more red tone.

Re: Finishing Curly Maple

Jim in Burlington Ont.

Hi Lee,

THAT looks familiar!!

Take care, Jim

Re: Finishing Curly Maple

Lee Schierer in McKean, PA

Yes, I know where that box went. It was always one of my favorite boxes. It would be interesting to see how it has aged.

Lee