Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Non coloring finish
Svante Nilsson
>Hi,
I have used a Polyurethane/tung oil mixture for most of my latest projects. I apply with a rag, sand with 400 grit paper and dry with a clean cloth. I get good result with 2-3 coatings and a final wax treatment.
The only drawback is that it the wood gets a shade of amber. For light wood like maple I am looking for a similar finish but non-coloring. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Svante
Re: Non coloring finish
Sam Simpson
>Hi Y'all,
Svante, any oil is going to discolor the surface to some degree. The ones you are using are about as light as you can go. To keep the wood very light, you might try waterborne poly and apply it and sand it by the very same method that you use with the oil based product. It will not emphasize the grain differences quite as well, and if you build too thick of a film it will have a cast to it. (a little hazy) But you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Regards Sam Simpson.
Re: Non coloring finish
Bill Tindall, E. TN
>The finish you are looking for will be described in the product literature as "water white", so that is the descripter to look for. Butyrate lacquer, some conversion varnishes, some urethanes and most water based finishes are water white. the finishes that are water white are formulated with components that are niether colored nor become colored when exposed to sunlight.
If it is brown in the can it will look yellow on maple or ash, and personally I don't like that look either.
Re: Non coloring finish
Tim
>Remember that waterborne finishes will raise the grain...be prepared for that.
Maple doesn't have this issue so much but some other common (at least common in the US) hardwoods such as most oaks do.
Couple of options
Wiley Horne--Glendora CA
>Svante,
You can get a very light finish for maple as follows: First, create a hard surface by planing or sanding to about 1000g, and keep sanding until the wood is almost but not quite burnished; second, coat with dewaxed ultrablonde or platinum shellac. Use light cuts. Degloss and denib the shellac by cutting it back with 600g, and use a light wax.
One other thing I have found about maple is that sometimes the 'color problem' is not that the wood takes on a light shade of color, but rather than the shade is not neutral in tone. A very light dye treatment ahead of the shellac (or even mixed in with the shellac) can create a neutral tone. For example, a couple of drops of green per liter will make a noticeable difference. The exact treatment can be gotten by experiment.
If you're interested, I can refer you to a maple project that I finished not long ago.
Wiley