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Finishes for spalted projects

C

cwearing

Joined
May 20, 2004
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Location
New Glarus, WI
What are the good options for finishing spalted projects? I find that any oil finish leaves a muddy looking surface.
🙁🙁
 
I like either spray on lacquer or wipe on poly. It seems to keep the light wood lighter and keeps the contrast.
 
I often bleach spalted pieces with 2 part kleanstrip.
This works well with maple making black line on a light wood.
Make more contrast.

The a clear finish like john said usually lacquer for me.

The muddy look is the porous wood absorbing more finish.
A water base clear sanding sealer may prevent the muddy look.

It is always nice to turn a test piece.
Al
 
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I finish many spalted pieces each year (mostly maple, some hackberry), and my standard procedure is to use a 1 pound cut of ultra blonde shellac as a sanding sealer once I get the piece sanded to around 220 grit. When completely dry, I sand back again starting at 120 or 180 and move up to at least 320 before I spray a lacquer finish (I have found that rattle can DEFT lacquer works best for me). 3-4 coats minimum with at least one "sand back" (320) to flatten the surface.

I've been doing this procedure successfully for years..... .... it is very straightforward and I've not had too many problems - the occasional blushing or dust nibs, but these are inherent to many sprayed finishes. I find that the ultra (super) blonde shellac & lacquer combination alters the color of the resulting piece the least of other available finishes (polyurethane, oils, 'varnish', etc.).

As Al recommends...... practice and experiment...

Rob
 
cwearing said:
What are the good options for finishing spalted projects? I find that any oil finish leaves a muddy looking surface.
🙁🙁
Click to expand...

I take it you're using oil without resin? With is called varnish, and it will do well in either wiping or high test versions. As mentioned, soy-based oil finishes will leave things lighter, linseed-based will amber things a bit. Often the best choice, since we humans seem to like the warmth of a nice oil. I don't like the scatter tung oil gives, nor the odor, but some do. It's sort of a satin finish, where I prefer clear.

You may seal with shellac or high-test varnish to keep the white punk from looking dull even after sucking up five coats of wiping varnish.

http://www.aawforum.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2579&ppuser=1022&sl=m With birch in a conventional orientation. http://www.aawforum.org/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2159&ppuser=1022&sl=m

Double whammy spalt and endgrain. http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d160/GoodOnesGone/Cultivated-Birch.jpg
 
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