Finishing Mahogany - First time woodworker


Mike Vee

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Put your finish on now.  One coat a day for 3 days.  Then wait a week and do your final assembly.  You can pre drill the holes before finishing, I guess you will have less chance of mucking up the finish that way.

You can start using it in about a week, but I wouldn't leave your laptop or other stuff on the surface overnight for about a month. 

You can use a foam brush or a rag to apply the wipe-on poly.  I like foam brushes, eric likes rags.  It seems most folks agree with Eric.

FWIW, if something is generically labeled "mahogany" it is probably African.   Real Mahogany is almost always sold as "genuine mahogany" or "honduran mahogany" and is about 2x the price of African.  

 

 

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I'm late to the discussion here, but it's a good one. Welcome to the forum, you won't go wrong listening to these guys.

Just say no to the pore filler. The only wood that can benefit from it is red oak (cause it has pores so big you can loose tools in them), but you shouldn't be using red oak anyway.

If you really want to color the wood, dye is way better than stain. Use it sparingly & don't try to do a radical change.

All the hype about ARS is true. I just used it myself for the 1st time a few weeks ago & was very impressed. Super easy to apply, though it does require that you develop a technique, and looks great.

As far as stripping goes, call up the local cabinet shops & see if they will run it through their wide belt sander. That'll get rid of the finish and flatten the surface. It'll cost you but it will be worth it.

Please keep us posted with this project. I'll be looking forward to seeing that desk. I want to get a standing desk for myself.

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This will be fun then. I just noticed there's a place near where I work that sells general finishes product, i'll have to call them up to see if they have the ARS Satin. 

Other than that, how do i deal with applying the top coat to the project? Do i apply it to the entire surface? if so, I am assuming that once i apply it. i do not want it to be touching anything or having weight applied on it until it's set. Does that mean when I apply it, I'll have to leave 1 side uncoated and after it sets, i can go back and apply it?

Since this desk will be where I set up my desktop system, stuff like monitor stands, keyboards, etc will be left on almost 24/7. In this case, I should wait atleast 2 weeks right?

 

I can go ahead and start pre-drilling holes into the wood now and also work on sanding/polishing/painting the 8" steel nipples while the poly dries, so I'll have plenty of things to do for sure!!!

 

and in regards to the standing desk, I purchased the DIY kit (ie, motorized legs) from autonomous for about $300. The desk supports up to 300lb so it has a good amount of leeway. I'll definitely be posting pictures as I go from this stage onwards

15 minutes ago, drzaius said:

As far as stripping goes, call up the local cabinet shops & see if they will run it through their wide belt sander. That'll get rid of the finish and flatten the surface. It'll cost you but it will be worth it.

 

That's interesting as well. I'll have to call up the local woodshops nearby and see how much it'll cost. I've sunk around 600 on this so far but the knowledge I'm gaining from this project is worth it.

How much do you think they'll charge to sand down a 60x30 and 60x15 piece of wood?

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Oh, i also came across this again, but this article is what convinced me to use the woodgrain filler and shellac in my initial research.

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/blog/woodworking-101/tips-tricks/how-to-finish-mahogany-woodworking-projects/

I am definitely changing over to do poly instead.

 

EDIT: Merged with my latest post.

7 hours ago, Eric. said:

Most guys who use AM in place of genuine use dyes to bring the wood closer to genuine color.  I believe it's Darrell Peart who has a formula that I'm pretty sure can be found publicly.  I find it a bit orange but most people think it's spot on.  This would be a better way to go if you wanted to change the color.  Otherwise, just let the wood be the wood, regardless of its color...that's what it was meant to look like, after all.  Mother Nature will do a better job than you can, every time.

I was just re-reading the thread over again and took some time searching and this is the formula (I'm pretty sure)

From: http://darrellpeart.blogspot.com/2009/02/greene-and-greene-wood-finishing.html

Quote

What started out as misfortune turned into good fortune! I have not only found an alternative - but an improved process as well.
General Finishes dye stains come in several colors and can be infinitely mixed to achieve the desired results. I found that mixing 7 parts of their Orange dye stain with 4 parts of their Medium Brown Dye Stain produces a beautiful brown with orange overtones.

 

I wonder if I try to do dyes, i can push it to a heavier brown color by something around 5:6 (orange:medium brown) 

I'm currently watching a lot of videos on dyes and also on sanding. Still not sure if I want to take it to a cabinet maker to have it done on a wide belt sander or should I just do it by hand. (I guess it'll be another learning experience for me)

 

 

 

I do plan to go for the poly finish as you guys have been suggesting for sure. 
I just called up a few local stores and apparently the ARS is not sold in Los Angeles County due to OSHA rules? I'll have to hit up Orange County for the supply in this case :(

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I'll have to learn how to do this right. I know I want the dark mahogany look to match the rest of the furniture. I did a little more research and I think if I got a router and build a router sled, I should be able to straight up flatten it myself!

It does give me an excuse to buy a router........ so my wife doesn't bury me 6 feet under for buying more tools... lol

I just saw this video on a DIY sled: Youtube

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2 hours ago, Mike Vee said:

I'll have to learn how to do this right. I know I want the dark mahogany look to match the rest of the furniture. I did a little more research and I think if I got a router and build a router sled, I should be able to straight up flatten it myself!

 

Mountain, meet molehill :)

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lol. I get sidetracked..... a lot. but my goal at this point is to just get the coat on. 

How do you go about coating such a large piece? I'm assuming you coat the entire surface right? if so, how do you coat all 6 sides without damaging any of them since one of them will have to be holding the weight of the entire piece...

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Here is my routine:

1) coat underside, let dry.  Make sure to wipe up any drips that drip around to the show side right away.  

2) coat show side, edges and ends, let dry.  

3) recoat underside.

4) wash rinse repeat.   

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Pick up some painter's pyramids to hold it up. You can get away with coating the underside, then flipping it over to coat the top and edges. The pyramids may leave a dimple, but they will be hidden underneath. Maybe strategically locate them where the legs attach.

And don't over do the coats, or you might get 'stalactites' dripping from the bottom.

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20 minutes ago, Mike. said:

Here is my routine:

1) coat underside, let dry.  Make sure to wipe up any drips that drip around to the show side right away.  

2) coat show side, edges and ends, let dry.  

3) recoat underside.

4) wash rinse repeat.   

ah, so if it dries, i can put weight back on it? is it better to have the wood laying flat to dry or have it on a side (say.. standing up like in the picture in my original post)?

 

3 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said:

Pick up some painter's pyramids to hold it up. You can get away with coating the underside, then flipping it over to coat the top and edges. The pyramids may leave a dimple, but they will be hidden underneath. Maybe strategically locate them where the legs attach.

And don't over do the coats, or you might get 'stalactites' dripping from the bottom.

HA!!! It's funny you mentioned that... I was just about to purchase that on amazon when I saw it. I can figure out where the leg brackets will be and place it there. That's an awesome solution!!

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quick update.

finally was able to get arm r seal on Saturday. I resanded and stained some of the really egregious areas and i think it's much better now. I'm planning on applying the first coat tomorrow. that or at least mark and predrill all the necessary holes.

here are the pics of what it looks like right now 20170215_214538.thumb.jpg.879bf1d96f6ac820170215_214651.thumb.jpg.a8fecfc5e8b5df

Sent via Tapatalk.

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FYI and future reference...you don't have to build up with gloss then switch to satin at the end...you can just use satin all the way through.  I'm not sure who told you to do that, but whoever it was just heard that somewhere and suggested it based on myth rather than reality.  I've been using satin start to finish for years and my finishes look fine.  I understand the theory behind it, but honestly the human eye cannot detect a difference.  At least mine can't, and I have 20/20 vision.  And I'm picky.

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6 hours ago, Eric. said:

FYI and future reference...you don't have to build up with gloss then switch to satin at the end...you can just use satin all the way through.  I'm not sure who told you to do that, but whoever it was just heard that somewhere and suggested it based on myth rather than reality.  I've been using satin start to finish for years and my finishes look fine.  I understand the theory behind it, but honestly the human eye cannot detect a difference.  At least mine can't, and I have 20/20 vision.  And I'm picky.

Good to know.. It was one of the guys who work at Austin Hardwoods & Hardware where I was able to buy a quart of the satin. I guess, what's done is done. I'm going to switch to satin at this point anyways, so I plan to do 2 more coats and leave it at 5 coats. 

Do you do any kind of sanding on the last coat at all? Some people say they use a brown paper bag to "sand" the top coat after a day.. it sounds kinda troublesome since some paperbags i see tend to be very.. fibrous and flakes really easily.

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ok! sounds good!

i've been sanding between every coat with a 600grit sandpaper, just lightly, then cleaning it up w/ a wipe down of a shop cloth and then a tack cloth at the end before I start a new coat.

after I do the last coat, how long should i wait before i take it off the stands and put it somewhere else to cure? can i have it leaning on the wall after say, a few days?

arm-r-seal takes what, 2-4 weeks to cure right? if the temperature is good, i should be able to start putting the pieces together by March 10 I hope

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haha unfortunately I'm the sucker that already bought more product. I thought I would need a whole quart to do both pieces but so far, even w/ 3 coats of the gloss, i have atleast 3/4 pint left. I'm either putting extremely thin coats or I sucked at math so much that I over calculated what I would be using.

I will probably end up building something else anyways, so I can always use both sheen in the near future.

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48 minutes ago, Mike Vee said:

haha unfortunately I'm the sucker that already bought more product. I thought I would need a whole quart to do both pieces but so far, even w/ 3 coats of the gloss, i have atleast 3/4 pint left. I'm either putting extremely thin coats or I sucked at math so much that I over calculated what I would be using.

I will probably end up building something else anyways, so I can always use both sheen in the near future.

It's quite surprising how little is used. I did 2 coats on my planer/sander cart & hardly made a dent in the quart can I bought.

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There's no reason you can't do the gloss/satin thing, I just think there's no good reason to do it.

I use Platin pads to buff the surface after it's cured.  I tried the paper bag thing once...didn't work well for me.  This is an optional step but it makes your finish baby butt smooth.  Wet sand with a 50/50 mix of mineral spirits/mineral oil.

https://www.amazon.com/492371-Festool-Platin-Abrasive-15pcs/dp/B00CN0MX78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487801592&sr=8-1&keywords=festool+platin+2000

 

The wood will drink up quite a bit of finish on the first coat because it's thirsty...after that a coat requires surprisingly little finish.  One of the main benefits of using a finish like ARS is because it's thin, you have much more control over the build of the film. 

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I'm sure as you said, theoretically, the gloss satin combo might make a difference, but I just don't like doing things in an overly complicated fashion.

If satin was all I needed, I would prefer to just stick with satin all the way through.

I know I have 2000 and 3000 grit sandpaper, so I might hit it with either 2 weeks after the last coat

I'm really glad I'm learning so much from you guys!

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