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Finishing a fiber rush chair seat

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Finishing a fiber rush chair seat

#1

Finishing a fiber rush chair seat

Dave Mount

>I'm in the process (read: one done, more to go) of putting fiber rush seats on some ladderback chairs I made (a la Drew Langsner's book). In the reading I've done, most recommend a finish for the rush seat, but the suggested finish varies from BLO, danish oil, shellac, to poly. Any suggestions? I'm kind of partial to shellac in general, but it seems like shellac might have a little potential to become sticky in the summer. . .

Also, it occurs to me that soaking the fiber rush (and the stuffing underneath) with BLO or danish oil is not that far from leaving a bunch of finishing rags in a heap. It seems a little "out there", but do you think I should be concerned about fire while these are curing?

Thanks,

Dave

Dave Mount, NE Minnesota

Re: Finishing a fiber rush chair seat

#2

Re: Finishing a fiber rush chair seat

Greg B�tit, Vergennes, VT

>For what its worth, I've been using BlO for woven chair seats for a long time (20 + years). I don't think that I put enough oil on at one time to cause concern WRT spontaneous combustion. But I never thought of the possibility... I could have been just a few degrees away from a toasted shop, for all I know.

Greg -who is going to put the chairs right into the house the next time, I'm not gonna risk my tools getting burnt!

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