Ken Ross Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 I have found that this forum is a great place to get really good advice. For a novice like myself, your information is invaluable. That said I am back for more of your thoughts. Much appreciation in advance! I am building a couple natural edge slab tables. Both walnut and salted maple. The surfacing, bow ties and sanding are complete and I am about to begin finishing. What I would like to do is conversion varnish for the protection it provides but with the walnut especially it sure would be nice to first bring out the color and definition I get with an oil/poly blend such as Waterlox or Maloof. Is it possible to spray CV over such a finish? I know CV is a mechanical bond. Most advise sanding to 150/180. That would most likely leave scratches which would show up in the final CV coat. Can a sealer solve bonding issues? Seems a little crazy to me but maybe shellac between the two finishes?? Thanks guys, I appreciate your input. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 This is just my personal thoughts, but I think that finishing tends to get over complicated by all the different options / hype that floats around the media sites. Since this is a table which will undoubtedly need touchups after a few years I would stick with a single product (given the woods used, specifically an oil based to make the wood shine ). I think my choice would be an old stand-by: Arm-R Seal (Satin or semi gloss)... It's a tough finish that is almost fool-proof to apply, easy to touch up and makes darker wood look fantastic. By mixing / matching different layers of finish it's going to make future repairs nearly impossible to blend IMO... Would love to see some pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 I agree with BW in keeping it simple! I do a bit of live edge stuff and love to epoxy the "live edge" portions and then spray on General Finshes High Performance over the entire piece. Makes the live edge pop while giving a nice finish to the rest of the piece. I did this on my wife's quilting table is it's holding up very well. If you look thru the journal or showcase section, you'll see some of this finish.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Ross Posted December 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Thanks Boatworks and Tiods, Thinking that's good advice. I honestly am not very familiar with CV. Just have been told that it is an extremely tough finish. But your right, it will surely need to be repaired on down the road which would be a total refinish with the first method. I actually picked up some GF finishes as well to test out. Think that's where I will start. I am including a couple pics. Two are walnut, one of which I have already finished with my favorite oil/poly the other needs just a little more work with some CA glue before the finish. Third pic is a maple that's ready for finish. Thanks again, Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Ross Posted December 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Sorry about that. Having some troubles downloading pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Ross Posted December 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 There we go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Super nice piece Ken.. Here's the coffee table in black walnut.. Along the same lines.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 I have found that this forum is a great place to get really good advice. For a novice like myself, your information is invaluable. That said I am back for more of your thoughts. Much appreciation in advance! I am building a couple natural edge slab tables. Both walnut and salted maple. The surfacing, bow ties and sanding are complete and I am about to begin finishing. What I would like to do is conversion varnish for the protection it provides but with the walnut especially it sure would be nice to first bring out the color and definition I get with an oil/poly blend such as Waterlox or Maloof. Is it possible to spray CV over such a finish? I know CV is a mechanical bond. Most advise sanding to 150/180. That would most likely leave scratches which would show up in the final CV coat. Can a sealer solve bonding issues? Seems a little crazy to me but maybe shellac between the two finishes?? Thanks guys, I appreciate your input. Ken I'll just answer your question. No. You can use a plain oil under CV but need to seal with a compatible vinyl sealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySats Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Just a note on CV , it's great stuff and does hold up very well but the finish looks plastic. So if that's not the look you want I would do something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 Just a note on CV , it's great stuff and does hold up very well but the finish looks plastic. So if that's not the look you want I would do something else. ONLY if you over do it. 3-5 mil finishes don't have that plastic look. Most folks go way overboard on finish thickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Ross Posted December 31, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 TIODS the walnut table looks terrific! I was curious about the epoxy on the live edge. Is that to protect the softer wood? Did you brush on the epoxy and then sand to smoothe it? Particle Board, So the poly/oil blend is a no because of the resins? The oil obviously would not fill any of the grain and leave the surface of the wood fairly open creating bite for the sealer. Am I understanding correctly? Jerry, I really don't want a plastic look to the wood at all. In fact I much prefer the close to the surface look including seeing some of the grain as well. My consideration for CV was purely for the sake of durability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 31, 2014 Report Share Posted December 31, 2014 TIODS the walnut table looks terrific! I was curious about the epoxy on the live edge. Is that to protect the softer wood? Did you brush on the epoxy and then sand to smoothe it? No sanding on the live edge. To me that would ruin the look. The epoxy stabilizes the edge and then takes a finish nicely. Brushed on with a small acid brush. Thanks for the kind words! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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