Heavydc2 Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 So I have this pretty cool cherry burl slab that I am just about ready to finish. My plan is to make a lazy Susan out of it. I am thinking tung oil in that it has poly in it. I am sure there is a million different suggestions, but I am new to this so any suggestions are helpful. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Sounds like a good choice for a lazy susan. Did you have to stabalize that piece with anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 I think you should send it to me Frankly you can use any finish I would sugest you practice on some cherry scraps. I'm not sure how the burl will absorb the oil but considering the grain and shape of the wood you could claim any defects are a part of the burl look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Stabilize, then arm r seal then wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 This is probably one of the dumber questions ever on this site, but here goes. I've seen many times where people mention stabilizing wood. What is it and how do you do it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 This is probably one of the dumber questions ever on this site, but here goes. I've seen many times where people mention stabilizing wood. What is it and how do you do it? In a nutshell... My understanding is this... The wood is put in a vacuum chamber with some resin and it gets in there. Then it's baked at a certain temp for a certain length. It comes out stabilized. I can ask my buddy that does mine, if more info is needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhl.verona Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Tung oil may darken the slab too much for your tastes. You could try walnut oil, which is much lighter. I've used it on Cherry, followed by dewaxed shellac then water based poly (belt and braces probably). As said above, test on a scrap piece first, end grain in this case I'd imagine. HTH John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Ignore Mel...no one has access to the kind of "stabilizing" process that he speaks of...except him. You can consider filling any of those holes or cracks with epoxy that look like they might cause you trouble. Personally I'd just roll the dice and NOT do it, in order to avoid having ugly epoxy in that beautiful chunk of wood. I would follow his advice with the Arm-R-Seal, though...it's essentially an oil/varnish and will save you the trouble of mixing your own. It's good stuff. I'd use satin. And skip the wax...with all those holes and cracks and nooks and crannies, wax would be a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 I'm not 100% on the process, but there are quite a few guys that do it at home. Yes, I am fortunate to know a guy that is very good at it. But there's really not much to it. Especially for smaller pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 I hear "vacuum chamber, resin, and baked," and I don't think of something easy to do at home. Well maybe the last part. But of course where there's a will there's a way. Hey Mel, does this process have any effect on the appearance of the wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Yes, well... kinda... Left one is just wood and the right is stabilized. Also a different part of the block... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Mel, you and Eric are spokepersons for the Arm-R-Seal. I used it last night on my drawers and they look great this morning. I'm sold. It was kind of annoying though, trying to clean that little foam brush!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Don't clean the brush... I use the cheap ones from the hobby store. Something like 50 for 5 bucks or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 I was only joking about cleaning but I couldn't get the smiley face to work. Do you sand between coats and how many coats do you normally apply? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 My usual routine is 3 to 5 coats, sanding between with 320. Then after it cures, polish everything with a 2000 grit Platin pad, lubricated with a mix of mineral spirits and mineral oil about 1:1...this protocol is for satin finish. That's all straight out of the Spagnuolo playbook. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Wood-hardener = min-wax....they have some. Have no clue what it is? My vote is Arm-R-Seal and call it a day! If the wood is soft and punky...a wood hardener is probably a good Idea. Never used one. But I have a hunch it my prohibit the nice take in of an oil? Perhaps one of those bowl turners can chime in. They use wood hardeners on spalted turnings I believe? -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavydc2 Posted March 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thanks for the tips, I have already filled the wholes with epoxy... but its colored and almost looks like it belongs. I have not used walnut oil before, I will have to try it out. As far as stabilizing goes, I am not sure if that going to happen on this one. I plan on giving the finished product to the guy who I can get this stuff from... to hopefully make it that much easier to get more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavydc2 Posted March 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Here is a close up of my epoxy job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 That epoxy job looks pretty good to me. Regarding stabilization, I have done smaller pieces by simply flooding the surface with thin CA glue. Really only hardens the surface, but makes a very tough finish. This piece is probably too large for that, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heavydc2 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 So I decided to make a mix of walnut oil, beeswax and turpentine. Now it's on to the other piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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