Sanding/Finishing reclaimed Azobe (ekki, red ironwood)


wouldwurker

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My wife bought a bunch of furniture with reclaimed wood. The most recent is a coffee table made from Azobe.

I get the concept, and the rustic nature of it...but you just need to glance at it and your hand will be festooned with splinters.

The boards are crimped and riveted into the metal sides, so taking them out to the workbench is not an option.

I gave it about 3 hours of hand and ROS sanding last night from 60 to 220 - it's a little better, but any hand motion with the grain is still splinter city. Even if the sander caught an edge just right, I'd have major jagged tear out.

So anyway..it's a difficult, hard, oily, wood.

I could really use some sanding recommendations.

Also, finishing recomendations. I'm (thinking) a coat of Seal Coat dewaxed shellac to lock in the natural oils, followed by one coat of matte water based poly acrylic. I don't want it to look 'plasticky', but I think it would prevent that splintering affect....and water rings. Need to maintain the rustic weathered look though.

Thanks all, and really appreciate the feedback

VJ

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Wow, I presume you were presented with this as a fait accompli but I have to ask:  Any way it can go back from whence it came?  Probably not after sanding, OK.

 

My first thought is to overlay it with a plate of glass..  Failing that, a varnish such as shellac may well help bind the fibers up so you're less likely to catch a splinter, so your instinct is correct.  You're not, however, going to keep the rustic weathered look.

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Skip the coarser grits. Just use 150 and 220 lightly. Then seal coat it. After the seal coat the splinters

should be stiff enough to sand off and a final coat of dull or satin will complete the job. If you use an abrasive pad after the finish you can reduce the shine so the piece still looks rustic.

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I can see why people like this look, we have some of it in our house.  but I am generally skeptical that it is actually reclaimed wood.  Like going to an antique store and you realize most of the stuff was produced 20 years ago to look 100 years old. 

 

Good luck with the table.  Assuming you don't want to get a torch involved :), wdwerkers idea makes sense.  I did that on the edges of some reclaimed pine/fir shelves I made.  The tops were all replaned, because I like the way wood looks, but I left the edges rough sawn.  I just hit with 180 then 220, very lightly, sealed with shellac and waxed.  I know pine is a different animal than anything called ironwood, but the same principle might apply. 

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Thanks all.   I wouldn't have thought to apply the light sanding after the SealCoat...but again, that's why I asked the pros.

 

I'll give SealCoat a shot to lock in those oils, then a light sanding to smooth out the nibs that'll catch and pull out any more splinters.

 

Once the SealCoat is on and light sanded, ok to go with water-based poly acrylic?  I can't imagine one layer of matte/satin looking too plastic-like?

 

The good news is, the rustic look, extremely hard oily wood, and lack of any consistent grain pattern, make for a pretty forgiving substrate. 

 

Again, appreciate the help.  --VJ

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks gang. Finally finished up tonight. Used wdwrker's recommendation. Seal coat, sanded, and then 4 coats of water based poly acrylic. Final scuff with 600grit.

Got a little darker, but feels smooth and still looks rustic. Most importantly, my 6 month old can safely run his hands across it.

Thanks all. Appreciate the help.

VJ

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  • 6 years later...
On 4/24/2014 at 9:15 PM, vinnyjojo said:

Thanks gang. Finally finished up tonight. Used wdwrker's recommendation. Seal coat, sanded, and then 4 coats of water based poly acrylic. Final scuff with 600grit.

 

Got a little darker, but feels smooth and still looks rustic. Most importantly, my 6 month old can safely run his hands across it.

 

Thanks all. Appreciate the help.

VJ

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Beautiful!  I just googled how to refinish azobe wood, and your post showed up!  Thank you, as I’m refinishing the same table!

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