Is it advisable to use a sanding sealer before danish oil or similar finishe on ambrosia maple?
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Sanding Sealer
- Thread starter cwearing
- Start date
If your aim is to maintain the natural color of the maple along with maximum contrast with the staining, do not use an oil finish as it will darken the wood. I have used Waterlox to good effect, but then I wasn't looking to keep the base wood color as light as possible. I have, however, used waterborne finishes on ambrosia to good effect. The pic is an example of using Fuhr #355 waterborne varnish.
To answer your question directly, you don't need a sanding sealer with an oil finish. With waterborne you will to prevent the grain-raise. You can eliminate that need as well if you pre-raise the loose grain and then gently sand it off before applying the first coat of finish.
To answer your question directly, you don't need a sanding sealer with an oil finish. With waterborne you will to prevent the grain-raise. You can eliminate that need as well if you pre-raise the loose grain and then gently sand it off before applying the first coat of finish.
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DownUnder a sanding sealer could refer to shellac or nitrocellulose.
I like the latter with wax over the top to finish bowls and platters on which minimal darkening is wanted.
It's not esp. durable though; for kitchen pieces try mineral or paraffin oil ... not sure about the US terms for these.
I like the latter with wax over the top to finish bowls and platters on which minimal darkening is wanted.
It's not esp. durable though; for kitchen pieces try mineral or paraffin oil ... not sure about the US terms for these.
Shellac Sanding Sealer
In the US, you can purchase Zinsser's Seal Coat, which is a 2 lb. cut of blond, de-waxed shellac. I usually cut it: 3 parts de-natured alcohol to 2 parts Seal Coat. It dries very quickly (although not as fast as Myland's cellulose sanding sealer which can be friction dried on the lathe.)
When cutting the Seal Coat, you should do it in a plastic or glass jar - metal will darken the shellac a bit. You can also buy blond/de-waxed shellac flakes and dissolve them in de-natured alcohol as well. Since a little goes a long way, I usually do about 5 oz. (3 ounces alcohol, 2 Seal Coat) at a time. Once mixed, shellac does have a shelf life of about 6 months.
I just wipe it on with a paper towel.
If you're using it as a sealer, then once dried (about 10 minutes) I sand with the same grit I was using before applying the sealer, being careful to sand lightly, as dried shellac will cause "corning" on the sand paper, making sure that I change to a fresh area on the sand paper as soon as I see the "corning" - BTW, that's bits of the shellac adhering to the s.p. If you use s.p. that has corned, you can really get some deep grooves in the finish.
I mainly turn big leaf maple with no darkening of the wood.
With the cellulose sealers, you need to make sure they are "water-white" to keep any yellowing down to a minimum.
Hope this helps.
In the US, you can purchase Zinsser's Seal Coat, which is a 2 lb. cut of blond, de-waxed shellac. I usually cut it: 3 parts de-natured alcohol to 2 parts Seal Coat. It dries very quickly (although not as fast as Myland's cellulose sanding sealer which can be friction dried on the lathe.)
When cutting the Seal Coat, you should do it in a plastic or glass jar - metal will darken the shellac a bit. You can also buy blond/de-waxed shellac flakes and dissolve them in de-natured alcohol as well. Since a little goes a long way, I usually do about 5 oz. (3 ounces alcohol, 2 Seal Coat) at a time. Once mixed, shellac does have a shelf life of about 6 months.
I just wipe it on with a paper towel.
If you're using it as a sealer, then once dried (about 10 minutes) I sand with the same grit I was using before applying the sealer, being careful to sand lightly, as dried shellac will cause "corning" on the sand paper, making sure that I change to a fresh area on the sand paper as soon as I see the "corning" - BTW, that's bits of the shellac adhering to the s.p. If you use s.p. that has corned, you can really get some deep grooves in the finish.
I mainly turn big leaf maple with no darkening of the wood.
With the cellulose sealers, you need to make sure they are "water-white" to keep any yellowing down to a minimum.
Hope this helps.
i have used sanding sealer on ebonized woods for a flat black look(it will raise the grain very slightly so just rub down), for a gloss look on ebonized woods use spray lacquer :cool2:
Is it advisable to use a sanding sealer before danish oil or similar finishe on ambrosia maple?
For a sealer I use Deft clear wood lacquer finish. I will cut back about 25% with lacquer thinner. For me it works with all tung oil based finishes. I have tried sanding sealer and it just takes too long to dry, like days in some cases.
Steve Worcester
Admin Emeritus
Really, anything that is the first coat is the sanding sealer. There are some specific for that purpose, but for what we do, I personally feel they are unnecessary.
I use whatever lacquer I am going to spray with, cut 50/50 with thinner and wiped on, as a first coat to get it nice and saturated. I will usually sand that smooth to get the wipe marks out before proceeding to spraying. I will usually wipe on the same finish before waxing to so that you get a more predictable finish from the wax.
I use whatever lacquer I am going to spray with, cut 50/50 with thinner and wiped on, as a first coat to get it nice and saturated. I will usually sand that smooth to get the wipe marks out before proceeding to spraying. I will usually wipe on the same finish before waxing to so that you get a more predictable finish from the wax.
Take your point Steve, but my normal finish is Danish Oil which doesn't make a good sandable sealer.
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Although this is true, I find super blond shellac is fast, seals well and is easy to make. Other finishes seem to soak in more a nd require more coats.
If 1# shellac is taking more than a few minutes to dry, something is wrong!!
I use a lacquer wash - approx 35/65 mixture of Lacquer/Thinner, respectively.
I apply it with a piece of old tee shirt, then turn on the lathe, and wipe it off the excess. I then sand again with my last couple of grits again.
By that time, I can apply my first coat of DO. Never had a problem with it, and I guess that's the closest I come to using a "sanding sealer".
I also use this wash before applying CA to small cracks. It keeps the CA from staining the surrounding wood.
I apply it with a piece of old tee shirt, then turn on the lathe, and wipe it off the excess. I then sand again with my last couple of grits again.
By that time, I can apply my first coat of DO. Never had a problem with it, and I guess that's the closest I come to using a "sanding sealer".
I also use this wash before applying CA to small cracks. It keeps the CA from staining the surrounding wood.
I use SealCoat, sometimes diluted with mineral spirits, frictioned on. I can layer as many coats as desired on the lathe for a built up gloss. I friction it on until the paper towel is very hot. It is then dry. Usually, this is all I need for a finish.
Burt
Burt