Walnut table finish help

[jakemidd]

So I've Googled this for weeks now and I've read as many forum posts as I can, but i can't seem to get my head around how to finish this slab of walnut i have.

 

Here is a pic of the slab when i bought it

 

 

Here's is what I've done so far:

• De-barked it (didn't want to, but it was crumbling off)
• Planed and scraped the surface
• Filled the cracks with epoxy mixed with sawdust
• Fastened 1/4 steel straps to back of the cracks to prevent further movement
• Sanded to 220 

Now I need to finish it (here's where I need your help)

 

Here's my current plan

• 3-5 coats of BLO - no sanding in between
• 5-10 coats (as needed) of grain filler (using crystalac) - heavy sanding as needed
• 3-5 coats of GF Arm-a-seal  - Sanding w/0000 steel wool in between.

 

Can you guys give me a sense that this will work and that I'm not making any big mistakes here?

 

Thanks 

 

[Guest]

It sounds like you have too much time on your hands! Honestly I think you are making it harder than it needs to be

1) If you are going to pore fill, do it before the BLO. You need to sand after pore filling and you don't want to sand off the oil

2) I don't think you need/want to pore fill. slabs are rustic enough that open pore will look fine. If you do pore fill I don't think you need more than a coat or 2

3) You shouldn't need more than 2 applications of BLO. Under Arm R Seal one is probably enough. Just do it to get the color you like. It is just for color, BLO does not give you much protection.

4) 3-5 coats of Arm R Seal is about right.

[bgreenb]

A few things here:

 

- That slab is beautiful.  Can't wait to see the finished product.

- When you fastened the steel strapping to the wood, did you do so through oversized/slotted holes to allow for movement?  Just making sure.

 

In terms of the finishing questions - have you ever used Crystalac?  If so, carry on.  But if not, let me tell you that I had a horrible experience with it.  It went on unevenly and took FOREVER to fill the pores.  I ended up having to go to Marc for advice on how to start over, and he said he had gotten bad feedback on Crystalac as well.  I would recommend using Timbermate - much much better product for pore filling IMO.  Much easier to use.   Here's a table I made a couple years ago for my parents who wanted a gloss finish on Walnut.  I used timber mate to fill the pores and top coated with GF Arm R Seal:  

 

If you're a guild member, Marc covers the pore filling process with Timbermate as part of the humidor build.

 

That's another question - are you going for a gloss finish?  If not then don't bother filling the pores.  You don't really need to if you're going for something more satin.

 

Finally - don't bother with the BLO, and certainly not five coats.  The Arm R Seal will give you the same look by itself.  Believe me I've done this with plenty of test walnut boards.  You will see zero difference and you're just adding a TON of drying time to the mix.  I actually had problems with BLO under Arm R Seal once because the BLO hadn't dried enough (and I gave it almost a week - still wasn't enough).

 

My recommendation would be to skip right to the Arm R Seal - I prefer satin, but if you're going for the gloss finish, then use Timbermate first, then go to Arm R Seal.

[jakemidd]

Thanks Mike / Brian,

 

Seems like I'm on the right track but possibly going overboard.  I have not used crystalac before.  I was only going to use it because I saw it used here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdNMmSSBSms

 

To be honest (from an amateur's perspective) this is what's causing my confusion.

[Guest]

Use the underside if the table as a sample board without the pore filler and see of you like it.

People tend to go overboard with finishing. "no pain no gain" does not apply. With a table like that, a good sanding job abd a few coats of arm r seal should be all you need.

[JerrySats]

That's a beautiful slab , I heard Tried and True finishes really bring out the beauty of walnut . ( not yet used it for myself yet but want too )   Nothing more to added that hasn't been . What part of the country are you in and that store or lumber dealer looks pretty nice .  Look forward to seeing this finished  , is this going to be a dinning table ? 

[jakemidd]

Great idea Mike. I'll give that a shot.

I'm in the south suburbs of Chicago. I found the slab at Owl Lumber which is also near Chicago.

I had 16x24 steel legs made and I plan to use it as a coffee table.

[jakemidd]

Here's a pic of the slab mostly planed and with the cracks being filled.

[bgreenb]

Thanks Mike / Brian,

 

Seems like I'm on the right track but possibly going overboard.  I have not used crystalac before.  I was only going to use it because I saw it used here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdNMmSSBSms

 

To be honest (from an amateur's perspective) this is what's causing my confusion.

 

That's funny, when I originally tried Crystalac it was for the same reason - because I saw it in Rob Bois' video.  Rob is an outstanding woodworker (and a former member here) and I would trust his advice on anything - I just didn't have the same experience that he did.  He actually says in the video that it takes several coats of Crystalac to fully fill the pores.  

 

The big reason that Rob uses Crystalac is that it dries completely clear - which is true, and if you want to fill the pores invisibly, that's the only game in town.  But I actually think it looks awesome to fill the pores using the black timber mate - then the pores kind of pop out as little dark flecks in the walnut.  You could also use the walnut colored timber mate and they won't stick out as much.  But yes, if you're set on having the pore filler dry completely clear then you'll have to use Crystalac.  That just wasn't that important to me.  I filled the pores completely with one heavy coat of timber mate, sanded it back, and moved on.  

 

As for Rob's use of BLO, that's because he top coats with shellac, and if you want to really bring out the depth of the grain you need an oil based finish.  So uses BLO and then shellac.

 

But Arm R Seal does both in one step - you get the oil soaking into the grain and bringing out its depth, plus you get the protection of a polyurethane film finish.  You can stop when you get to the sheen that you want.  Like Mike said, 3-5 coats should be fine.

 

Once again, you should also decide whether you want to go gloss or satin.  If you want satin then just skip the pore fill because it doesn't matter.  But if you want gloss then yes you'll have to fill the pores.

 

Mike's suggestion to use the underside of the slab as a testing environment is a good one.  If you don't like how it looks you can always go a different route on the top.

[JerrySats]

Woodcraft carries a product called aqua coat,it's a clear grain filler. I never used it so i cant say we'll it works

http://m.woodcraft.com/aHR0cDovL3d3dy53b29kY3JhZnQuY29tL1Byb2R1Y3QvODU3MzkwL0FxdWEtQ29hdC1DbGVhci1Xb29kLUdyYWluLUZpbGxlci1QdC5hc3B4

[Stobes21]

My suggestion would be to skip the BLO and grain filler entirely. Start by getting your piece fully sanded. Then wet sand with plenty of natural Danish oil and 220 or 320 wet dry paper. Let it dry for 30 to 45 mins and gently wipe down the surface with plenty of paper towels, moving across the grain. Let dry 24 hours or so, wiping again if it has any wet spots. Then sand dry with the same grit paper you used to wet sand, blow off the surface with compressed air, and hit with a couple coats of arm-r-seal.

As others have mentioned, with a satin finish grain filling isn't necessary at all. But the above has given me very nice results on walnut several times with far less hassle and sanding than using a commercial grain filler.

[jakemidd]

Thanks everyone. I'm following Mikes suggestion and testing in the underside. I'll post pics and results after the testing.

I really appreciate the tips and advice.