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BLO and Redwood

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BLO and Redwood

#1

BLO and Redwood

Mark Kauder. Phenix City, AL

>I turned curly Redwood bowl and put BLO on it thinned with a little Mineral Spirits. Then again, and again, and again...... I have been applying it for a couple of days, several coats a day, and it keeps drinking it up. This is the first time I have turned Redwood, it is also the first time that I have had a wood continue to drink up the oil.

Any one with this experience with Redwood or other wood? The wall thickness is about 3/8", I just don't know where it could all be going.

thanks

Mark

Re: BLO and Redwood

#2

Re: BLO and Redwood

Fog Tanner

>I have two little 6" bowls with 1/4" wall thickness that I have been doing the same thing to. BLO thinned down 50%. I have been putting a liberal coat a day for seven days. One is Oak and the other is Blue Pine. Both keep taking finish. I have read some articles that referred to 30-40 coats, so I am going to see how much these will take. But, if they make it to the 30 -40 coat level I will probably stop. They are both achademic pieces anyway.

Re: BLO and Redwood

#3

Re: BLO and Redwood

john Lucas

>Mark I turned an ornament out of some very old redwood burl. It kept drinking a mixture of Lacquer and lacquer thinner. After about 5 coats I decided to buff and see what happened. Polished up beautifully. I don't know if it would do the same thing with BLO because it doesn't harden the wood the same way lacquer does.

Re: BLO and Redwood

#4

Re: BLO and Redwood

Tom Mullane

>I have found that old growth dry redwood is like a sponge... I did a scroll saw piece that I had to soak in a pan of BLO/Mineral Spirits for an hour before it stopped soaking it up... then I spent the next 3 hours wiping off the excess that seeped out... it took about a week to dry after that....

when working with redwood, think SPONGE...

Re: BLO and Redwood

#5

Re: BLO and Redwood

Dave MacLuskie

>Some eastern red cedar (may be related?) also soaks up oil like there's no tomorrow. I let one bowl sit in a BLO/MS mixture for a week. It got VERY dark colored.

Re: BLO and Redwood

#6

Re: BLO and Redwood

Russ Fairfield

>You have 2 choices - keep applying the finish until it drinks no more, or you can submurge it in a tub of finish for several days until it is saturated. The later is less time consuming, but will require your mixing up a quantity of thinned finnish.

There is a 3rd method, but you are too late for that - sealing the wood wih a heavy coat of thinned lacquer. when that is dry, the wood can be sanded again to open it up enough to take some of the finish and give it that "oiled" look.

Redwood is one of those perfect woods for using a saturatred oil finish and buffing wheels. The oil brings out the grain, and the buffing and wax brings out a high polish that really shows it off.

Re: BLO and Redwood

#7

Re: BLO and Redwood

Ron in Drums PA

>I have had that happen on other wood also.

Here is what I would do: Buff out and see what it looks like, if I don't like what I see, I would use full strength BLO for a coat or two. Wait a few days and buff again.

Re: BLO and Redwood

#8

Re: BLO and Redwood

Mark Kauder

>Thanks to everyone for all the help/suggestions/information. In short, right now the bowl looks fantastic, but I usually like to coat completely. I think I will stop now. I have no plans to put lacquer on it.

Thanks,

Mark

Re: BLO and Redwood

#9

Been pondering . .

Al Kapocius, Metro Greendale

>Been pondering about using a slight vacuum to impregnate wood with finish. I'd use a large (enough) jar with copper tube and shut off valve soldered to top. Vacuum would be applied with a hand pump such as used to bleed brake lines, about $30 at most stores.

I supposes that the finish would continue bleeding for a while as mentioned in one of the above posts.

Al Kapocius