To fume or not to fume...

[tperson]

So I’ve fallen deeper down the mission-style rabbit hole this summer and fall and have no intention of turning back. I’ve essentially mothballed other joinery tools and have rediscovered my love for the Pantorouter and m/t joints, I find myself being more stringent about what part of the board to use for what parts so the grain is most visible, and have pretty much forgotten all other lumber species other than QSWO…in fact, thinking about anything other than walnut, white oak, or cherry makes me itch. That said, I could use some advice achieving a easier finish. My regiment today is:

• Raise grain and final sand
• Dye with J.E. Mosers Vintage maple + a little crimson red
• Light-sand with 325 or 400 (whatever’s handy)
• Seal with Zinsser blonde dewaxed schellac cut 50/50-ish
• Dye with J.E. Moser’s black
  • Allow to dry and lightly wipe off with a damp towel until color is achieved.
• Handrub 50/50 varathane’s poly 2-4 coats

 

This process takes about a week to achieve and, while I like the finished product, I don’t like the amount of time it takes to produce and I wish the grain was more prominent. I was recently discussing finishing with a buddy in central Nebraska and he suggested fuming my project with ammonia to achieve ‘the look’ with less work. I did a little research this morning and it seems like 48-72hrs with commercial ammonia is the way to go (if you can’t get a hold of 25% industrial). Attached a couple of this years’ projects; in the collective expertise of the group, would fuming get me the ‘pop’ I’m looking for? I’m not against experimenting, but would rather save the effort if the consensus is overwhelmingly ‘no’.

 

Thanks in advance for your continued guidance.

 

Tom

[tperson]

oh...and don't ask about the purple-ness of the piece in the last picture, there was an 'incident' that I'd rather not speak of.

[wtnhighlander]

I'm no finishing expert, but IMHO, fuming with ammonia leaves a bit of green cast to white oak, at least several pieces I have seen appear that way. I find your pics a bit more pleasing in color.  However, if you want to see what it might look like, sand a piece of scrap as if finishing it, and simply 'paint' some household ammonia on the surface.  The reaction is pretty fast, and can go farther than desired, sometimes. I think that is why folks prefer the fuming method, as it is a slower process that can be stopped as soon as you like the look.  With household ammonia being relatively dilute, it is fairly simple to neutralize with a solution of mild acid, like vinegar.  I have done some crude experiments with this method, and did get a good color change, but I haven't worked with it enough to know how reliable / controllable it is. At least it avoids the more dangerous industrial strength chemical.

[Chestnut]

I'd try fuming just to see if you like it. That said your results are nice.

[treeslayer]

QSWO lamp that I fumed 8 hours with Ace Hardware ammonia, then one coat of homemade garnet shellac and 2 coats of ARS satin to finish it off, I’m happy with the way it turned out but what you have shown is beautiful, I’ll be fuming all my future QSWO projects, simple and goes deep into the wood 

[B1rdhunter]

I do hope to try some fuming at some point but for larger projects I think it's hard to beat Michaels Cherry stain, two coats of shellac and as many coats of General Finish High Performance Satin as is necessary.

[Coop]

Beautiful work!

[pkinneb]

These pieces are all fumed using the Mike Pekovich method;, here is a video (starts at about 6:20)

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2012/08/07/7-fuming-and-tabletop-flattening

 

 

[treeslayer]

I have to say that without the help of @pkinnebI would never have gotten the result that I did and also @Chet, two great members here, thanks again to you both 

[tperson]

Thanks for the excellent responses and pictures, I expected nothing less from this crowd. I ran a quick 2-day test last week on a little cutoff and decided that, while the process is effective, I actually prefer the look of my current process...maybe we'll try again in the future on some smaller projects. 

 

Tom