Replies

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Feb 26, 2012 09:47am | #1

   Depending on the chemicals in the lacquer thinner, the lacquer may not play nicely on top of BLO.  At the very least, the BLO must be given five or more days to cure.

   You can answer your own questions by trying out your finish options on scrap from your project.  Changes in the wood's characteristics are more a function of the wood.

2. 
   mrmadson | May 02, 2012 03:58pm | #2

   I've had adhesion problems using lacquer over BLO in the past, and the comments about allowing it to fully cure are on the mark.  I would wait as long as you can between the application of BLO and the application of the lacquer--at least a week, particularly if the weather is cool or humid.  If you can wait two weeks or more, that's even better.  

   My best results with BLO have been using it on what I would call "sub par walnut" projects, soaking the walnut quite profusely with the BLO...leaving it for days...soaking it again...and allowing it to cure for several weeks before proceeding to finish it.  The BLO will generally darken the wood and make the grain contrast more noticable.  It won't improve the grain pattern itself (nothing does) but it can help make a "C" piece of lumber into a "B" piece of lumber.  It isn't a miracle worker, though, just keep that in mind.

   I've also had decent luck with it on African mahogany to help unify the color and sort of "tone down" the red, when clients want it that way.

   My advice:  don't use BLO or any other "darkener" on cherry.  If you want to darken cherry, build you furniture...leave it unfinished...and leave it outside in the bright sunlight.  The UV rays will do things to cherry that no spray finishing genius with a Ph.D. in chemistry can accomplish.  Let the sunshine do the work for you.

   If you still have concerns about adhesion between the BLO and lacquer (or almost anything else, for that matter)...you can generally use dewaxed shellac as a seal coat or sanding sealer.  Just apply a thin coat over the top of the BLO, then apply the lacquer.  Just be absolutely POSITIVE that you are using *dewaxed* shellac (Bullseye SealCoat if buying off the shelf) or the top coat won't adhere. 

   Shellac is about the easiest and most forgiving finish there is.  People seem to be scared to use it for some reason, but they should really give it a try.  Shellac is tough to beat unless you are talking about something that is going to be a profuse beatiing, and even then, you can use shellac underneath your final protective finish to build up something that nothing with the word "poly" in front of it will ever approach...at least in terms of appearances.