First,my hardwood supplier offers two types of red oak ply, plain slice and
rotary cut both graded A1.Plain slice costs a bit more. I want to use it for
a dining room table top. Which would be better?
I plan on oil staining it so is blotching going to be a problem. I would
sand to 180.
Last, can I thin regular oil base poly with mineral spirits to make it a
wiping poly? What ratio? Pre- made wiping is a bit expensive and I use a lot
of it.
Thank You all in advance.
Color staining red oak can be tricky.
1. If you are trying to get a dark color, you might be dissapointed
with how much penetration you can get.
2. The grain lines in red oak are very fine and deep. Dark or even
natural ore light stains can be a problem. You can have what looks
like great coverage and 10 minutes later the surface tension breaks on
all these nearly microscopic valleys of grain lines and you get lots
of little white grain lines showing up. Especially with water based
stains but oil and gel too. I sometimes sort of scrub the stain in
with a small cleaning type brush.
3. Depending on the look you want, a very common treatment for oak is
to wash it with some natural or honey or golden color. Then put a thin
layer of sealer such as shellac or thinned lacquer. Then use a dark
stain, to just fill the grain lines and add some nice definition to
the grain. This really pops the contrast and looks great. Using a gel
stain is a very easy way to add this dark grain line color. It is
usually oil so it stays open quite a while allowing you to work it in
and wipe it down. Then ad more coats of a clear finish once the dark
is dry.
Note: If you want a natural colored oak (sort of honey color), you
should still apply a natural or honet stain. Oak will fade over time
and a base stain with just a hint of color fixes this.
Note 2: Yes, just add mineral spirits to any thickness you want for
wiping poly. Many (most) of the cans will say some maximum thinning or
don't thin. Lots of environmental law and marketing reasns for this
but no technical reason. Make sure you stir it very well, it will not
mix easy at first and will not stay well mixed for long but works just
fine. Also, I have found that for the best, most consistent coverage I
wash it on, really juciy with a brush to really flood the surface and
then wipe it down rather than just wiping. At least for the first coat
or two.
On Mar 15, 9:15=A0am, "Lee" <[email protected]> wrote:
> First,my hardwood supplier offers two types of red oak ply, plain slice an=
d
> rotary cut both graded A1.Plain slice costs a bit more. I want to use it f=
or
> a dining room table top. Which would be better?
> I plan on oil staining it so is blotching going to be a problem. I would
> sand to 180.
> =A0Last, can I thin regular oil base poly with mineral spirits to make it =
a
> wiping poly? What ratio? Pre- made wiping is a bit expensive and I use a l=
ot
> of it.
> Thank You all in advance.
On Mar 15, 1:17=A0pm, "Bonehenge (B A R R Y)"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:15:52 GMT, "Lee" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >First,my hardwood supplier offers two types of red oak ply, plain slice a=
nd
> >rotary cut both graded A1.Plain slice costs a bit more. I want to use it =
for
> >a dining room table top. Which would be better?
>
> Plain sliced is what you want. =A0 Rotary cut is one continuous sheet of
> veneer that looks like crazy figured sheathing plywood. =A0Plain sliced
> looks like glued-up boards.
>
> >I plan on oil staining it so is blotching going to be a problem. I would
> >sand to 180.
>
> Blotching is not normally a problem with red oak. =A0Red oak is a very
> easy wood to stain. =A0Depending on the stain, you might not want to
> sand that high. =A0Try 120, 150, and 180 on scrap and see which look you
> like best. =A0Sanding too smooth won't let the pigment in the stain hold
> on.
>
> > Last, can I thin regular oil base poly with mineral spirits to make it a=
> >wiping poly? What ratio?
>
> Sure! =A0I usually go 60-70% polyurethane. =A0Keep the wiper in a ziplock
> and you can use it for the entire project.
That Seal Coat of which you speak, is That a Zinser product? I can go
WB on top?
r
On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:15:52 GMT, "Lee" <[email protected]> wrote:
>First,my hardwood supplier offers two types of red oak ply, plain slice and
>rotary cut both graded A1.Plain slice costs a bit more. I want to use it for
>a dining room table top. Which would be better?
Plain sliced is what you want. Rotary cut is one continuous sheet of
veneer that looks like crazy figured sheathing plywood. Plain sliced
looks like glued-up boards.
>I plan on oil staining it so is blotching going to be a problem. I would
>sand to 180.
Blotching is not normally a problem with red oak. Red oak is a very
easy wood to stain. Depending on the stain, you might not want to
sand that high. Try 120, 150, and 180 on scrap and see which look you
like best. Sanding too smooth won't let the pigment in the stain hold
on.
> Last, can I thin regular oil base poly with mineral spirits to make it a
>wiping poly? What ratio?
Sure! I usually go 60-70% polyurethane. Keep the wiper in a ziplock
and you can use it for the entire project.
On Mar 15, 4:53=A0pm, "Bonehenge (B A R R Y)"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:54:09 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy
>
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >That Seal Coat of which you speak, is That a Zinser product? I can go
> >WB on top?
>
> Why, yes it is a Zinnser product, and it can go over or under pretty
> much anything!
>
> In fact, they provide me with a golden jet (and paid co-pilot) for my
> Usenet plugs, which I use to get to the private island where all those
> who plug products on Usenet hang out. =A0
>
> I do believe we've shared time on the private island. =A0Is it Festool
> that sponsors your trips?
Festool? Naa.. I used to get all the perks for promoting Festool, but
Leon and charlieb pulled rank on me.
But I still get free 3 year leases on Bentley Continental R's.
Too bad I only get to drive it on a 2 square mile island.
Great thanks Barry
Bonehenge (B A R R Y)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:15:52 GMT, "Lee" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>First,my hardwood supplier offers two types of red oak ply, plain slice
>>and
>>rotary cut both graded A1.Plain slice costs a bit more. I want to use it
>>for
>>a dining room table top. Which would be better?
>
> Plain sliced is what you want. Rotary cut is one continuous sheet of
> veneer that looks like crazy figured sheathing plywood. Plain sliced
> looks like glued-up boards.
>
>>I plan on oil staining it so is blotching going to be a problem. I would
>>sand to 180.
>
> Blotching is not normally a problem with red oak. Red oak is a very
> easy wood to stain. Depending on the stain, you might not want to
> sand that high. Try 120, 150, and 180 on scrap and see which look you
> like best. Sanding too smooth won't let the pigment in the stain hold
> on.
>
>> Last, can I thin regular oil base poly with mineral spirits to make it a
>>wiping poly? What ratio?
>
> Sure! I usually go 60-70% polyurethane. Keep the wiper in a ziplock
> and you can use it for the entire project.
On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:17:00 GMT, "Bonehenge (B A R R Y)"
<[email protected]> wrote:
I forgot to mention...
If you're going to wipe polyurethane over a stain, make extra sure the
stain is completely dry before you start wiping on the finish. The
extra thinner in wipe-on varnish can move partially dried stain
around.
One wiped on coat of Seal Coat will usually prevent any movement at
all, as alcohol won't loosen the stain, and the poly won't dissolve
the Seal Coat.
Try it on a scrap board if you haven't used Seal Coat.
"Lee" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Last, can I thin regular oil base poly with mineral spirits to make it a
> wiping poly? What ratio? Pre- made wiping is a bit expensive and I use a
> lot of it.
> Thank You all in advance.
Only once did I oak, but it is not prone to blotching.
As for the finish, wipe on poly may be good, but there are better ways if
you want a fine finish and don't mind doing a bit more work. A couple of
magazine articles a year or so ago had very similar methods.
Coat of thinned poly
sand with 220
coat of poly
sand with 220
coat of poly
let cure at least two weeks
wet sand 400 grit
wet sand 600 grit
steel wool xxxx
pumice
rottenstone
wax
I did that on an old chest I refinished and it is, by far, the nicest
finishing job I've ever done. On red oak, use some fillers for the grain for
smoothest finish as pointed out on another thread here.
On Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:54:09 -0700 (PDT), Robatoy
<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>That Seal Coat of which you speak, is That a Zinser product? I can go
>WB on top?
Why, yes it is a Zinnser product, and it can go over or under pretty
much anything!
In fact, they provide me with a golden jet (and paid co-pilot) for my
Usenet plugs, which I use to get to the private island where all those
who plug products on Usenet hang out.
I do believe we've shared time on the private island. Is it Festool
that sponsors your trips?