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+-- Thread: How do you like to finish maple? (/showthread.php?tid=7340773)
How do you like to finish maple? - ®smpr_fi_mac® - 07-05-2018
I recently discovered (and love!) shellac. I particularly love using it on cherry and walnut. I tried it on maple the other day and was a bit...underwhelmed. I'm using blonde shellac.
I have some spray lacquer I just bought, but haven't given it a try yet. I enjoy using BLO, but not on maple, because it's often splotchy.
Any advice? Most of the stuff I build is pretty small, boxes mainly.
RE: How do you like to finish maple? - jcousins2 - 07-07-2018
maple is tough one - because it is so dense and grain swirly (?) it is very erratic about absorption. i use a 1# cut of shellac as a wash coat - hoping that the dna will carry the shellac into the wood - at times will use 2 or 3 of these wash coats with some light sanding in between. after that dries well i pad in a few coats of 2# coats - then spray with lacquer.
this seems to help the final finish coat be more uniform.
hope this helps
jerry
RE: How do you like to finish maple? - fredhargis - 07-08-2018
One person's splotch is another person's grain (I guess), so I like BLO on maple. But I also like dyes which give a uniform color on it when needed. You do need to be careful top coating dyes. Most are diluted with water (some with alcohol, some with either) and trying to brush a waterborne (or shellac on the alcohol diluent type) can really screw things up. Oil based finishes go on just fine, the others are best sprayed.
RE: How do you like to finish maple? - jteneyck - 07-08-2018
(07-05-2018, 08:36 AM)®smpr_fi_mac® Wrote: I recently discovered (and love!) shellac. I particularly love using it on cherry and walnut. I tried it on maple the other day and was a bit...underwhelmed. I'm using blonde shellac.
I have some spray lacquer I just bought, but haven't given it a try yet. I enjoy using BLO, but not on maple, because it's often splotchy.
Any advice? Most of the stuff I build is pretty small, boxes mainly.
You might consider Arm-R-Seal. This is semi-gloss on curly maple:
![[Image: jO6zFC_E4VtVPMnIAtSza9gdmiEtZMkS5sKrvET-...35-h626-no]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jO6zFC_E4VtVPMnIAtSza9gdmiEtZMkS5sKrvET-d9ZhCVRDsVwXhc1K_SfD4Gs8pkt7rYOLrbAYckF3P-FBoxefRNKhdFYWbRh7kyWucZJyBKFZ0X3vU3bXiilc4sRL6FiESWM8mbIg7g283-Q7_DRkrFubBCy8zchmUIrkzNIGXowcQCGMRIplPmJqWkjnHg7EgbE74CYdTpoU-lqlnqOO_y0ir9pj2QD1tGohjoLkQM_PF806FeucONgFKry8yNmpPFPuoPrT62ImZOYmFngynlr4sSIS4ef1xB4N0LgsfRzxGoTxlrp5m7ZoXPxe3VDX3XF4BF-K4CQMMT2yAlJahgaAgcovU1hc0LAKMnURF_dVyPuT0ixSv0gjDgR4ZEC6iP-AImZYRI9HkRdOuNX7oO3WM6J8_NEa86-2QIlJXDWNzsdAczz81pC7-Mxxedph4uyx2Fv5nJ9htOMOCt2QqM2KJJvobnitIXJD-YN0REQrqIB30tPGCchIeWVME_wRnhR4WychVrxyNrz6eByrK9Dq3dx9vyktgeurUQ1XdE13gJVOrmyC7XwVsTQX7TDRlS9M4n68aQtkVytox7PvCnL8HbTfnrL73DSuPTv0hPN-MTEAXbwEGZtHSAeQa4xAY0_fJfd3xa12REOJcUvza3kObPUoww=w835-h626-no)
John
RE: How do you like to finish maple? - zaret - 07-08-2018
(07-08-2018, 09:12 AM)jteneyck Wrote: You might consider Arm-R-Seal. This is semi-gloss on curly maple:
John
i second the arm-r-seal suggestion. typically i finish maple one of two ways, depending on the piece - either i spray it with a good clear acrylic, two or three coats depending on the product, or i do a sealcoat of shellac and then arm-r-seal. both look great - the acrylic goes on absolutely clear, pops the grain but won't impart color, whereas the shellac/arm-r-seal absolutely imparts a medium amber color. pops the grain like mad, feels and looks fantastic.
hard to go wrong either way. if i'm building casework drawers, i spray them with clear. if i'm building a curly maple vanity, i'll use the shellac/arm-r-seal as i find it to be a bit more refined and beautiful.