Replies

1. 
   quietude | Apr 17, 2007 08:54am | #1

   I had a saltwater driftwood rocking chair for years.(a friend has it now) I used teak oil on it for a while, then let it dry out and started using tung oil on it. I found that the tung oil changed the color less. If you take pure tung oil and cut it with either oderless mineral spirits or citrus solvent, by maybe 2-3 parts solvent for 1 part tung oil, you can achieve a rich low lustre sheen without making significant changes to the color. On the other hand if you want a lot of shine, the shellac sounds fine. IMHO it is better to keep the shine low with "rustic" materials like driftwood. I'm sure it will be beautiful, whatever your choice, and I hope you post the pictures.
   luke

2. 
   tms | Apr 17, 2007 06:13pm | #2

   Hey Jimmy,

   My grandmother use to make driftwood sculptures, and her technique was to scrape the weathered surface off with very small tools, then finish the piece with tinted paste wax. The scraping was excruciatingly detailed work, and I always marveled at her patience.

   Tom

1. 
   PaulMassachusetts | Apr 18, 2007 01:40am | #3

   I have seen sandblasted driftwood. Of course you like the grey .....

3. 
   HWG | Apr 18, 2007 11:39pm | #4

   Many times it is finished with only paste wax, if it is only to be used indoors for decoration.

   Woody

4. 
   beachfarm | Apr 19, 2007 01:05am | #5

   I spend a great deal of my quality time fly fishing in the North Maine Woods. For the last few years I've passed an amazing piece of driftwood on the shore of Lake Chesuncook - a cedar stump from logging days gone by. Last Fall, I tipped it upright and, sure enough, it makes a perfectly balanced table base. Too big for the house, and not exactly my style, but what an awesome deck table it would be.

   Preserving the surface is as important as preserving the color. If you want to preserve both, then a liquid wax like satin Watco might be the route. It will darken somewhat. A clear finish, whether it's shellac, varnish or oil, will turn that beautiful grey weathered surface into something only a "trading post" could love...

1. 
   jimmy | Apr 19, 2007 02:24am | #6

   Thanks all...I really like the gray.  Guess Ill run some samples.  Again, many thanks