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Good finish for Mahogeny

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Turned a small mahogany bowl at my clubs booth during the woodworking show when it was in town. First time turning that species, what is a good finish for the mahogany? WOP, rattle can laquer, Mahoney walnut oil. I also have ting oil which I love on my arts and craft style furniture. Something else? Grain seems plain to me, need something to make it pop!


Paul
 

hockenbery

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Grain seems plain to me, need something to make it pop!
Paul

you can’t make the grain more interesting with a shiny finish. Best chance of popping is some carving or texturing. Could paint the outside with black gesso and carve a bunch of straight lines that make a pattern with small v gouge palm carver

Below are two Sapele seed jars. One with sandcarved milk painted feather motive and a second one with a couple coats of Waterlox. Mahogany is great fir simple carving and texturing.
reacts with milk paint to turn the woof a bronze color.

F1FEB35A-544E-4961-B2A5-9A6838ECCF66.jpeg Black over blue milk paint sanded back to show wood and blue paint gives an ancient artifact effect.
0C459E3E-E9C5-47BA-8F7C-861896C36EB4.jpeg This one will get a similar treatment to the one above.
 
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I have had good success with tung oil. I've turned a lot of mahogany and made furniture with it as well. Like hockenbery said, It is typically not a popping grain kind of wood.
 

john lucas

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My favorite finish is to dye it red with trans Tint dyes. Then rub brown shoe polish into it. It gives it the look of that antique mahagony. Then apply a coat of shellac to seal it followed by whatever finish you like.
 
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Turned a small mahogany bowl at my clubs booth during the woodworking show when it was in town. First time turning that species, what is a good finish for the mahogany? WOP, rattle can laquer, Mahoney walnut oil. I also have ting oil which I love on my arts and craft style furniture. Something else? Grain seems plain to me, need something to make it pop!


Paul
Good old shellac is a good finish for a lot of woods, including mahogany. It make the grain pop better than most other finishes.
 
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Thank you for your responses. It’s a small bowl, to small for carving or fluting. Popping the grain probably not the best description for mahogany. I went with tung oil and it looks much much better with just one coat. I will put probably two more then buff it. Again thanks for you responses


Paul
 

hockenbery

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Thank you for your responses. It’s a small bowl, to small for carving or fluting. Popping the grain probably not the best description for mahogany. I went with tung oil and it looks much much better with just one coat. I will put probably two more then buff it. Again thanks for you responses
Paul

Tung oil should give it a nice warm look. If you like it that is all that matters.

too small? This little piece is 5” diameter 789A8010-6103-4448-A5D0-835AC7F77F1D.jpeg

Many embellishment techniques are tedious a go lot faster on smaller pieces, for that reason the small ones make great projects for texturing.

enjoy it for now.
In a few years if you haven’t found it new home you might consider.
stippling, pyrography, palm carving, sandcarving, airbrushing, milkpaint etc.

I’ve redone a couple of old pieces that I thought would benefit from embellishment.
Just painting the top of the rim red or black can make a big difference in a plain grained bowl.
 
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