Hi,
I have some apple wood, air dried. I cut it up on the bandsaw and dried it about three years. Recently I ran a small piece over the jointer to get a better look at the color and grain. At first glance it’s just a nice light colored wood, nice colors but nothing fancy. If you hold it just right in the light you can see a subtle wave in the grain that looks very promising.
I’ve taken a short piece and applied shellac, linseed oil and thinned varnish to different sections. I don’t see a lot of difference in the appearance although the shellac section does look marginally better. What would be the best thing to apply to make that aspect of the grain stand out? I’m not really into dyeing the wood but will try it if recommended.
Thanks,
Mack
“WISH IN ONE HAND, S–T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST”
Replies
One coat of BLO, followed 48 hours later with shellac will make a very good looking finish.
Steve,
Pardon my ignorance, but WTH is BLO?
Thanks,
Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, S--T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
BLO= boiled linseed oil
Boiled Linseed Oil --its called that because way back when it was heated to encorporate lead as a metallic drier. No lead today, but it does have small amounts of metallic driers that let it cure much faster than Raw Linseed Oil which takes almost forever to dry.
I agree with Steve. I use a thin coat of linseed oil on woods like walnut and Mahogany to bring out color and figure, then apply shellac on top because it refracts the light to bring out the figure more intensly. The only thing different to consider would be just straight shellac.
Adam
Steve,
Thanks; DUH on my part. I did treat one section with "BLO" but did not follow on with anything. Will try that and see what I get. Thanks again.
Regards,
Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, S--T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
I'd try a dye.
I suggest a two-tone dying process as a test.
Start with a light dye, let it dry and then layer on that
with a darker tone. Top coat with varnish or shellac.
Buff out with pumice & rottenstone.
I just tried this with lacewood a few weeks ago with
a first coat of a honey colored dye, layered on with
a walnut dye. The grain did "pop" once vanished
(3 coats) & buffed out.
You may not want to go as dark as walnut. Or you could dilute
the solution to soften the tone. The key here is start with a light
color & follow with a darker shade.
Bill-
I have heard that working with BLO can be dangerous. True, or am I having a senior moment?As I recall, people have left rags with BLO on the bench, or in a corner, only to see the rags ignite. If this is true how do you avoid problems?
Spread the rags out to dry flat, and there won't be enough concentrated heat to ignite them. I usually put them outside, with a brick resting on a corner of the rags so that they don't blow away.
It's not just linseed oil that does this, by the way. Any finish that dries by oxidation (drying oils and varnishes) can self-combust under the right conditions.
-Steve
Hi Dorsett,I soak the rags with water and then lay them out flat on a concrete
floor to dry. I then toss them out or burn them in my backyard fire pit.Bill-
Bill,
Thanks for the nudge toward the dye. I have never used dye on wood. I guess it's time I got out of my comfort zone and tried something new. I have several pieces of scrap to play with so tests are no problem.
Thanks again,
Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, S--T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
I agree that one should learn all aspects of finishing, but not on something as unique as the grain color and pattern of Apple! Save it for some curly maple or maybe to try aging cherry or concealing sapwood in walnut. Apple is such a rarely seen wood in mainstream furniture that it would be a true dishonor to conceal it's true beauty. Just the two cents of a "Wood Purist."
Adam
Apple changes color in sunlight, not unlike black cherry. The heart wood reddens and the sapwood seems to get lighter, though that could just be the contrast. Before you go making your piece look like apple plywood, stick a piece outside for a few weeks and see what you get. I think a little BLO would richen the reddness of it. The grain is so tight, you really don't need a pore filler. I really question the need for a finish at all. You can get a fairly good polish on the wood alone.
Apple won't get as red as cherry. But it does develop I nice medium reddish brown.
I think apple is better for carving, turning or tool making than making furniture out of. But hey, if you've got it, use it. If you have enough, build a wardrobe out of it and maybe you or your children or grandchildren will be able to get to Narnia.
Adam
Adam,
I've got a couple hundred bd ft but it is all in small boards no more than 4 ft. long and anywhere from 4-8" wide. I was pretty careful about sealing the ends and stickering but I'm sure there will still be considerable waste. It was outdoors under cover for three years and I just brought it into the shop a few months ago. I flipped each board over and restacked it. There is some minor bowing and cupping as I expected but no checking to speak of. I envision it as panels for small doors or fronts for small drawers. Maybe some jewelry boxes or the like. I think the wardrobe would end up about 1/8 complete LOL.
Thanks for your input on the finish!
Regards,
Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, S--T IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"
Hi Adam,
The apple I have worked was very blonde, more like maple than cherry. Maybe yours was from a Red Delicious tree, and mine, an Early Transparent? Had a bit of plumwood once, it was very red; like cherry, only moreso.
Interesting.
Ray
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