Need Your Advice in Choosing a Finish

[Hammer5573]

I'm completing a grandfather clock made entirely of cherry. I experimented using a Lye solution (3 parts crystalized lye/one cup distilled water) to create a seasoned finish (looks something like Rosewood). I'm trying to decide what to apply as a finish. Typically, I French polish my pieces; however, this piece is so large that I don't want to use this technique. I'm trying to attain a high gloss finish and I'm not sure what to use ( poly, lacquer etc). I would appreciate your suggestions?

[Ronn W]

 Your clock probaly has some nooks and crannies or, at leat, interior corners that are difficult to finish nicely with a rag or brush.  I would lean towards a spray finish like laquer.  Uneducated opinion - others here have more experince with spray finishes.  BTW - Grandfather clock is on my bucket list.

[wtnhighlander]

I agree with spraying. Poly will amber the dark cherry a bit more, while lacquer should keep it a bit brighter. I've done that lye treatment on cherry a few times, it can create a stunning color. I bet that clock looks awesome, going to share some photos?

[Hammer5573]

On 8/7/2022 at 6:58 PM, wtnhighlander said:

 I've done that lye treatment on cherry a few times, it can create a stunning color. 

I wish that I had known that you had experience using lye because I made plenty of mistakes using it. Do you have any advice removing glue spots? When I use it in the future, I'm planning to spritz it with water before applying the lye; do you agree?

[Wimayo]

Equal parts of tung oil (or BLO), mineral spirits (or turpentine), and gloss poly. I used this on a cherry chest 25 years ago and it still looks great. Wipe on thin coats using a folded blue towel.

[pkinneb]

Spray lacquer would be my choice

[wtnhighlander]

@Hammer5573, use water, as you would to raise the grain. That's about as effective a method for finding glue spots as I can think of.

But, I've notice the lye seems to either penetrate of get under the glue, somehow. The last project I used it on was an experiment, which I didn't clean of glue as thoroughly as I should, and the color darkened even under the glue.

Here is a pic, wher I was testing handle shapes (handle & lid aren't finished).

The cherry edges are very dark, as I used a pretty strong lye solution. The walls of the box are white pine, and you can't see any if the multiple glue spots that exist.