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Best finish?

Nothing I've tried other than keeping it out of UV light. I did find out from my local lacquer distributor that I can buy UV inhibitor to put in the finish. I'm going to try some next time I head up that way.
If you store the piece in the house it lasts a long time. I've sold several and visited the people and after 5 years they still look red. now how much red they actually lost I don't know. I currently have a piece in my house that's over 2 years old and looks fine.
I did a test on a bunch of finishes and put the wood outside in the sun. Non of the finishes I tried kept the red color for more than 2 days. I even tried Spar Varnish which has a really high UV content but of course makes the wood look almost orange. It held up the longest at around the 2 day mark. I don't think most people would put the wood in direct summer sun for 12 to 14 hours a day.
 
As John states, no one will put something in direct sunlight for 12-14 hours a day. Nothing will stand up to direct sunlight, if there was it would out sell all of the "wood deck" protectors and sealants so people wouldn't have to "maintain" their decks. A more "realistic" abuse a piece could take would be on display at an "outdoor" craft show or fair. Or sat on a "picnic table during a picnic. I'm very cautious when I set up to what pieces are on the "edges" of the display for a show that could get to sunlight.

One product I haven't tried, and John if you have let me know the results, is General's "Outdoor Oil". It's a danish oil that has UV inhibitors. A scroll saw artisan I know uses it on light sensitive exotic woods for her puzzles since they're often displayed at outdoor shows or even played with on a table outdoors. I haven't tried it but its worth a shot. I have a nice vessel of Box Elder that's roughed out drying in my freezer kiln. When that's finished I'm planning on trying that finish to see if it helps or not.
 
Greg I have not tried that yet. Sounds interesting. I quit doing segmented work a while ago but I'm getting back into it and a lot of the woods are UV sensitive.
 
Very timely query.

I've got a few BE rough-outs and the pink stripe faded fairly quickly - out of direct light but with an aqueous wax sealer.

I think someone on this forum did a rough UV test; marine varnish is sposed to have a UV inhibitor but it barely improved on other finishes IIRC.
 
As mentioned before, the "UV inhibitors" are there to prevent the finish from powdering before its time. If they do anything for the wood, it's an unintended consequence.
 
"One product I haven't tried, and John if you have let me know the results, is General's "Outdoor Oil". It's a danish oil that has UV inhibitors. A scroll saw artisan I know uses it on light sensitive exotic woods for her puzzles since they're often displayed at outdoor shows or even played with on a table outdoors. I haven't tried it but its worth a shot. I have a nice vessel of Box Elder that's roughed out drying in my freezer kiln. When that's finished I'm planning on trying that finish to see if it helps or not."

I have used Outdoor Oil for several years on my porch floor. It has to be renewed every year, and on the areas that are subject to direct sunlight there is a marked difference in color. It also darkens the wood more than any other clear finish I have ever used.
 
Krylon UV resistant Clear. It's purpose is to keep artwork from fading, and that aside, it's the finish I use for everything. I used to do some testing on the dash of my truck, years ago. Some people were using sunscreen on their exotic wood pieces, and I can tell you from testing that it does not work.I have NOT tested the Krylon UV, but my sense is that it does help to at least some degree. You can't keep the boxelder from changing, though. I have pieces I've had for years that largely stay in a cabinet, but a few days of strong daylight will fade it right away. Some people use acrylic ink to color in the red areas.

Whatever you do, if you sell work, the buyer should know that it will not remain the way it is when they buy it.

John
 
John Jordan said:
...

Whatever you do, if you sell work, the buyer should know that it will not remain the way it is when they buy it.

John
Click to expand...

Looks like an endorsement for acrylics. 😉
 
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