Green Head Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 I did a router inlay on a piece of african mahogany. It's a knock-off of the flower Marc has on the table he made. The back is african mahogany, the petals consist of red, yellow, and purple heart. Also, the stem or branch is walnut. I have worked with the af. mahogany many times and always finish it with a tung oil and citrus solvent mix. That's just what I happen to have since I made some cutting boards and finished them with that. Anyways, I really like the way the oil brings out the deep colors of the af. mahogany as well as the way it leaves a nice shine. My question is, what should I use since I have the other woods involved? I want something that brings out the deep colors of the af. mahogany but doesn't make the red, yellow, and purple heart lose their rich colors. Also, I want the piece to have a nice sheen. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I put an oil-based finish on purpleheart and it makes it scream; you won't be disappointed. Same with yellowheart although it just gets bright, not radiant like the purpleheart. I know of redheart, but have never used it. In fact, I saw it for the first time a month ago. For that, grab an offcut and dip it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bombarde16 Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Glue up a stick of offcuts, plane it flat and test. The one thing that you want to avoid at all costs is colors running. I got burned on a project because the pigments in Padauk are alcohol soluble. You can imagine what happened when the first coat of shellac hit the wood: A giant pink blob started marching across a neighboring piece of maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Rob, just curious...for my own info...did you spray or brush the shellac...sound like the shellac was applied very wet? I'm not up on the exotic woods :( -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iSawitFirst Posted January 7, 2011 Report Share Posted January 7, 2011 Spraying helps but the Padauk oils still tend to bleed. Very light coats are a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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