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River RedGum - what finish?


Grumpy

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I'm making a new plinth for my Garrard using River RedGum and I have had a few suggestions on what finish to use.

Hard Burnishing oil and a wax polish - (YouTube shows it to be a rather long and messy job and some reports say it can be problematic and  not a good finish)

Tung Oil - (Reports say there is better for Redgum)

Danish Oil. (looks good from what I've seen and easier to apply and finish)

Now some might know that I'm all thumbs when it comes to DIY (you should see the rough job on the plinth cut-outs) so any suggestion would be very appreciated on what sand paper,  wet dry? and finishing oil- wax polish etc?

Cheers.

 

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I'm making a new plinth for my Garrard using River RedGum and I have had a few suggestions on what finish to use.

Hard Burnishing oil and a wax polish - (YouTube shows it to be a rather long and messy job and some reports say it can be problematic and  not a good finish)

Tung Oil - (Reports say there is better for Redgum)

Danish Oil. (looks good from what I've seen and easier to apply and finish)

Now some might know that I'm all thumbs when it comes to DIY (you should see the rough job on the plinth cut-outs) so any suggestion would be very appreciated on what sand paper,  wet dry? and finishing oil- wax polish etc?

Cheers.

 

use the Tung-oil finish can , sanding between coat . 4 to 5 coats will be good each coat should have at least 10 hours . my plinths normally took 5 days to finish all the oil coats

good luck

Duc

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Guest Peter the Greek

What sort of sander do you have? have you got a slab or have you joined some boards? was it dressed?

 

I pretty much only use this or this but it depends on your skill and sander. Shellac is good as you just build thinned layer on thinned layer, sanding in between with higher and higher grits. Its therefore very forgiving.

 

I finish all finish with this - shellac, poly, oil, whatever, it goes on everything

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Guest Peter the Greek
 my plinths normally took 5 days to finish all the oil coats

Thats the other good thing about Shellac - it drys more or less instantly. For small jobs I like to apply inside and then sit it in the sun for 5-10 minutes between coats. Whole thing is finiished after a few hours. Wait until the following weekend and then sand only last time and apply the Ultrashine - its the best bit/fun :)

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Guest Peter the Greek

Not on me....(I'm at work and no photo bucket acces). If you can get to my photobucket from my signature thread go to "woodworking" and there should be a modern looking coffee table. It was more of a matt finish.

 

Oh actually, I did my study/desk in it (spotted gum) - I think thats in my thread

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Guest Peter the Greek
They tend to hide the grain after too many coats.

 

De-waxed white shellac doesn't do that fortunately (neither does the 'hard' one)

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For sheer ease of application, you have seen them, the weights in danish oil. However it is a finish that will need reapplying periodically so not sure if it'll be suitable for a plinth. Prep work beforehand is the key. As it most finishes, when you think you have sanded enough, keep going!!

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I've used this http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/interior-clear-protective-finishes/minwax-wipeon-poly with red gum in the past and had good results. It's easy to apply, is a more forgiving than some shellacs when it comes to overlap and can be layered to produce the effect you're after. 1 or 2 coats for a hand-rubbed, oiled lustre, more coats for a higher gloss and more protection.

 

I pretty much only use this or this but it depends on your skill and sander. I finish all finish with this - shellac, poly, oil, whatever, it goes on everything

 

I'm keen to give these a go to. They have a very loyal following in the local woodworking community.

 

If you want a super high gloss, hard wearing finish you could give this a go http://www.glasscoat.com.au/products.shtml. I haven't used it and it doesn't look like its the sort of product for the faint hearted.

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Guest Peter the Greek

I use another clear doming resin (the Solid Solutions one) its cool stuff, but VERY expensive. I use it to fill sap veins and large cracks.

 

But I dont use it as a finish, I sand the surface flat and then apply the normal stuff

 

If you're going to use Shellac you want (a) a good brush - I use a 35mm? mohair mop from an artists shop - about $40 each  industrial meth spirits (water free) for thinning

 

I've been wanting to give wipe on poly a try for ages....stick to what you know (actually its laziness)

Edited by Peter the Greek
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I've used danish furniture oil a lot in the past and I'm very pleased with the satin finish you can achieve.  Easy to work if you don't apply excessive oil at once.  The other thing I can recommend is Feast Watson Floor Clear.  To get deep shine with a grain free surface, I start by sanding all the way up to 400. Then apply a liberal coat with fine brush and let dry thoroughly. Sand from 180 to 400, nearly removing all the coating from the flat surfaces.  The aim is to fill the grain first.  Repeat if required.  Then work forward by sanding with 320 and 400 between after first and second 'real' coat, then go with 400 sanding between coats until you achieve the desired look.  The stuff has an amazing ability to form flat surfaces without being overly 'runny' at the edges.

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Will love to see the final result Grumps

 

Ive only ever stained and coated pine. The coats would normally be a Cabothane with progressing levels of sanding between the 3 coats. This always produced a lovely shine for me

 

good luck!

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Grumpy,

If you are using the burnishing oil try rubbing it back vigorously between coats with hessian.This will build up the gloss level.

You should not need the wax.

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Never used these preparations when renovating Victorian homes 30 years agob

Always bought she'll shellac and mixed my own

Can it still be purchased this way?

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