Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Finishes that keep wood light
Alan Tolchinsky
>What finish would you use to keep a light colored wood light? I've used poly, BLO, and Watco " Danish" oil and they all make lighter woods dark/yellow as soon as the finish is applied. Shellac was the best at retaining the original color. I'm finishing some box elder bowls and want to keep the light shade. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks Alan in Md.
Re: Finishes that keep wood light
Russ Fairfield
>Lacquer (Deft) or any of the waterborne lacquer finishes. The waterborne will be the best for long term color retention, but it will be difficult to apply because it will raise a lot of fuzz on the surface for the first couple coats. Be ready to do a lot of sanding.
Re: Finishes that keep wood light
John Lucas
>I agree with Russ. The only other things that I have tried are Krylon Fixatif and buffing with the Beal with no finish. The Krylon Fixatif makes it look as if no finish was applied at all. I understand you can buff the Krylon to a gloss but haven't tried it yet.
Thanks Russ and John. I'll try it. Alan
Alan Tolchinsky
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Re: Finishes that keep wood light
Phil Smith
>If you like the high gloss finish of a lacquer then I would suggest that you try a butyrated lacquer. Most of the commerical lacquer is based on nitrocellulose which has a slight yellow color. But butyrated lacquer is based on butyrated cellulose and is essentially water white (colorless). This is the preferred lacquer for very light woods such maple.
Re: Finishes that keep wood light
Mike Brazeau
>Alan - I did a box elder tray last spring and wanted to keep it white. I first used some Craft Supplies (UK) Cellulose Sanding Sealer, sanded down to 320 and then applied a half dozen coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish. Two coats per day, 0000 steel wooling in between. I did wax and buff after a few days too. The finish is absolutely superb and one of the best I have ever achived. It is still as white today as the day I made it. Waterlox produces an almost transparent finish also. Just a bit of amber tone.