Finishing Questions on Mesquite

[Dan Mosley]

I had the day free and spent most of it finishing or working on projects I had laying around. My problem and question relates to the Mesquite wood that i turn. I have applied oil both AO and BLO the the turnings - 3 coats usually and when they dry i get a light white haze to them. The haze will disappear after i apply Laquer (which is what i usually do post oil and letting them sit for days to weeks).
Pictures below and explanation of where i am in the finish process.

Picture 1 - Mesquite with 2 coats of BLO (BLO with 1/3 Mineral Spirits) Now day 2 of drying with light white haze
Picture 2 - Mesquite with 2 coats of BLO as above - No haze showing yet
Picture 3 - Mesquite - Oil soaked in BLO/Turp/Gloss Varnish x 12 days and dried for 2 weeks - getting first coat of Laquer in the picture.
This bowl came out very dark and looks better than the pic shows - im sure due to extended soaking - However, it was buffed post oil soak and it looked like crap so it was wiped down with mineral spirits and first coat of laquer was applied as i said above.
Picture 4 - 2 coats of AO and first coat of laquer applied - looks good so far
Picture 5 - Mesquite Vessel with 1 coat BLO and 2 of AO - haze showing and still drying tomm will be day 5

My big issue is with all the above is what is the best way to finish Mesquite - it does have pores which i will usually wet sand with the oils up to 400 or 500 grit and does help to fill them but still the finishes so far i think lack in something...............

Any ideas gang ??????????

 

[Wipedout]

Hmm - I usually just use a couple coats of AO - looks great IMHO opinion and dries very fast - no BLO under it - any reason you feel the need to put BLO under it?

 

[Richard Baker]

Also do not understand what the BLO accomplishes. An alternative is a wipe-on coat of lacquer sanding sealer, followed by X number coats of lacquer. The end product can be anything from a deep, high gloss to a very soft sheen, depending upon the details.

 

[Nate Hawkes]

I'd add that IME BLO takes a lot longer than AO to dry. Maybe that's causing the issue?? Don't know. I use AO almost exclusively, and often apply 6-8 coats (only 1 of those is very heavy--to soak completely-the rest are quite light to keep the finish even and completely smooth. I don't beall buff.). I've not seen the cloudy "blushing" like you sometimes get with lacquer. Interesting for sure. I have gotten lacquer to cloud before when it is moist--I don't have a climate controlled shop. Hence, no more using lacquer...

 

[Dan Mosley]

Will try what your suggesting and not buffing them. I have done several that i dont buff and like the semi gloss or gloss laquer finish on its own - usually applying 3-4 coats.
I use 50-50 laquer and laquer thinner for as sealer and it works well to fill up the open grain.
I was using the BLO to add depth as i was out of DO and AO so i figured that as long as i let it sit long enough i wouldnt have any problems in the end. However, not saying it is or is not the issue it was just what i had on hand.
Thanks though and ill try the suggestions

 

[GA Darling]

Dan what is your location? If you are in a humid climate moisture is likely being trapped in the finish and causing the white haze to appear. I ran into this during a humid period here in Ohio. Not owning a dehumidifer big enough to keep the shop dry, I try to do my finishing when the humidity is low. Also, you might want to try a grain filler such as Wonderfill. I have never used it on Mesquite but it works really well on Oak for a nice smooth mirror finish.

Greg

 

[TJ Hamilton]

Dan, here's a pic of a mesquite form that has about six coats of home-made wipe on (50% semi-gloss poly/50% mineral spirits); micro-meshed through all nine grits and Beale buffed.



Hope this helps,


Tom

 

[Charlie Knighton]

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[Dan Mosley]

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I am in Southern Calif and it been dry here but has cooled off..........
Im going to try the filler but ill use 50-50 laquer and laquer thinner and then see if that helps

 

[Richard Baker]

Dan, The 50/50 lacquer and thinner mix should work pretty much the same as lacquer sanding sealer. Probably will have lower solids content, and you may want to use two or even three coats before doing full lacquer finish. Best to give it a couple days to fully cure before buffing, and motor gently when buffing to avoid burning through the finish. With a tight grained wood, just two coats of sealer, lightly buffed, makes a pretty decent finish.

 

[Dan Mosley]

Rich thanks and ill try what your suggesting with a few sealer coats etc.....

 

[Bill Pottorf]

Change of finish for your Mesquite.

Dan, I have turned and finished quite a bit of Mesquite and have always used Waterlox, a tung oil and varnish type of mixture. I first sand through to 180 grit, apply 50/50 acetone thinned Mylands cellulose sanding sealer at that grit and then sand on out to 400. Apply 1st coat of waterlox with a paper towel and keep wet until it starts to become tacky. Wipe the surface dry with a clean paper towel at that point and dry overnight. Apply 2 more coats of Waterlox after buffing with 000 steelwool before application. Always wipe down each coat with the dry paper towel when tacky, drying afterwards. When dry, use the Beall buffer. Note that the Waterlox doe's darken and color the Mesquite slightly but not enough to destroy the beauty of the Mesquite. It will allow the natural grain of the Mesquite to pop if you use the above technique. Try it, I think you will agree.

PS: Waterlox is rather expensive, so I use a turkey basting type syringe to draw up just a little of it for each application. It doe's not take much at all. Very thin. I leave the Waterlox in the container and do put a little wine preservative on top and keep the lid closed. If the Waterlox crusts over, that is ok. Use an ice pick to penetrate the crust and go ahead with the syringe. Lets you use the Waterlox for a lot longer period. Always clean out your syringe after each use with soap and water and spray a little silicone lubricant into the syringe to allow the rubber plunger to move easily for your next use.

There, I gave it all away for you. Good luck.