I am getting ready to finish a chess baord where the squares are made from Padouk and curly maple with walnut strips between the squares. I have read that padouk can bleed it’s color into the finish and carry over to adjacent wood.
I would like to use Watco natural for the finish and then wax, but should I use some thing else first, such as shellac or sanding sealer. I have no spray equipment so any finish I use would need to be brushed, wiped, or from a spray can.
Thanks, Mike
We are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
Replies
That would be a problem only if you are sanding the entire board to fulush up the 3 different wood elements. the sanding dust from the Paduk will sometimes embed itself in the adjacent wood -- especially the light, softer species like soft maple or birch. Hard maple is not so much a problem.
Otherwise Paduk will not bleed to the other woods during the finishing process.
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"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
After sanding (or scraping) every well, I would wash the wood several times with a thinner that is compatable with the finish you will be using.
The wood dust is very red and will migrate if left on the wood.
"After sanding (or scraping) every well, I would wash the wood several times with a thinner that is compatable with the finish you will be using."
ShaneFe,
Before doing so, I recommend vacuuming (with a soft brush attachment) to remove all traces of padauk dust, which liquid solvents will spread around.
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
I agree with the vacuuming, but the steps I use are:
1: Use a soft brush and bursh off as much of the sanding dust as possible
2: Use a compressor to blow off as much of the dust as possible. If you have some, a can of compressed air for blowing dust out a computer or keyboard will also work, but you have to be careful as it can get real cold and cause condensation.
3: Vacuum the piece.
4: If I was using steel wool, I will take a strong magnet and wrap some paper towel around it and go over it very slowly to pick up any last minute bits of the steel wool.
Then start finishing 1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go 4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
Dont use shellac. I learned the hard way about the color bleed from Paduak when using shellac --> http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=22295.5
Waddaya mean it wont fit through the door?
Douglas & Rickles,
A few questions, if you don't mind:
How did you applly your shellac? Did you spray it, rag it on, or brush it?
What was the cut you used? One pound, two pound, three pound?
Did you mix your own, or use a pre-mixed product?
Thanks for indulging a curious mind,-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
Jazzdogg
The pics on the earlier thread I posted the link to ( http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=22295.5 ) were done with brushed on shellac.
It's half-moon sibling (pics on http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=20211.4 and http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=20211.19 ) were done with sprayed on shellac. The color bleed might not be as noticable on those pics. It's a lot less pronounced, but it's still there slightly. My understanding is, it's not the shellac but the alcohol that causes the color bleed. The shop had gotten too cold to spray by the time I needed to do the rectangular one so I brushed it on inside.
Both projects were done with about a 2-Lb cut using Behlen superblonde flakes and mixing up my own.Waddaya mean it wont fit through the door?
Applied with a brush, 1lb cut, mixed my own so it was fresh.
I was able to remove most of the bleeding with straight alcohol.
R13
I second that don't use shellac response, I also learned the hard way that blond shellac makes Padauk bleed
Try tung oil, I've expermented with Bloodwood and Curly Maple finished with Tung, so far no bleeding.
about 5 or 6 coats of tung turns out beautiful on curly maple!
R13
Mike,
I've used a Watco and wax finish on padouk many times with no problem. As others have said,sanding is where you will run into trouble. Just don't do it. A card scraper will give you a superior finish anyway, and you don't have to put up with the dust.
Brent
Yes, paduak bleeds when using shellac. I asked a guy from Zinsser if he had any recommendations for dealing with this, and he suggested first wiping down the piece with Naphtha to leach out the color, then use shellac.
It might work, but it doesn't sound like a promising option. I would stick to O/V or lacquer, and stay away from shellac when using paduak. Pink color in maple is not pretty...
Paul
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