I was thinking of finishing some maple plywood shelves for a built-in unit with Bartley’s gel varnish. I would like to know what you use to finish either maple plywood or cherry plywood.
Regards,
Buzzsaw
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Gil Bailie
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I would stay away from the gel stains with a varnish or poly mixed in with the stain. For the beginner, the application is very demanding. The slightest touch with the brush, rag, or roller after your first pass, will darken that spot quite a bit. Lets say you are staining the shelves of a bookcase and you touch the sides a couple of times with the rag. When you get to stain the sides those spots become twice as dark and no way to lighten it except sanding when dry.
I have just built some bookcases out of maple ply and 1/4 sawn fir for the edging. I used 2 coats of amber shellac, sanded lightly and 1 coat of clear shellac for the topcoat. They had a beautiful color to them that you would not get with a stain. Home Depot sells shellac, I think you should try them.
On cherry ply and solid I like Minwax Wipe on Poly, leaves a smooth low luster finish.
Thnaks Woodman. Can you recommend a brand name for the amber shellac. My wife does not like finish too shiny.Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
The brand they sell at HD is Zinsser. Shellac used to lasts only 3 months in the can, now they have found a way to give it a shelve life of 3 years. Anther attribute of shellac is that it has no lingering odor like many oil-poly finishes. It also dries fast. The amber color can be built up, after 4 coats the color will be as dark as it gets.Be sure to get a few small rollers. 2 1/2 - 6 inches to practice with.Of course you will need brushes for the corners.
You can lower the luster with 4-0 steel wool. For the nicest finish sanding lightly with 280 grit between coats is a good idea. I glue a piece of felt to a section of face planed 2 by 3 for a sanding block.
I actually have that shellac at home but I don't think it says amber shellac. I'll have to check the can. Thanks for the information. I really appreciate it. Not to ask for too much but can you take a picture of the final results about and post it? If not, I certainly understand.Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
I know how to post links but I never posted any pictures yet as I do not know the protocol, I will ask my brother and try to show you the cases I just made. You can try out the clear shellac and see how you like the color. The cool thing about the amber color is it can make the piece look like it was made a long time ago.I started using shellac when I was 16 on my first bookcases and wall units and now 35 years later I have come back to using shellac again. It brings back good memories.
I like the idea of shellac but just recently, last weekend, we put 4 coats of shellac on some fairly light wood, and it didn't darken it at all (I was hoping it would). So I am intrigued with the amber shellac that you mentioned. If it adds an amber hue that may be just what I am looking for...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
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