Wenge question re: finishing

[aruuk]

Any recommendations for a satin finish on wenge side table? Decorative table with no exposure to food or dining abuse. Tried Waterlox satin but buildup is uneven, then instantly too shiny. Also I did not realize how splintery the wenge is. Lots of little fissures that weep finish later. Any advice would be welcome.
Thanks

[jasfrank]

Probably a seal coat before the finish would relieve the bleed issue. Shellac would be my preferred choice.

[Dave Diaman]

Since you used Watrlox I would guess you want a finish you can wipe on. My suggestion would be a seal coat of shellac followed by Arm-R-Seal. It is really simple to apply and the satin version leaves a beautiful low sheen finish. If you have problems finding dewaxed shellac I have a ton of it and it looks like you probably live close to me. I buy it 5 gallons at a time and can give you enough to seal the whole table. I also believe Woodcraft sells it in quart cans as well as Arm-R-Seal. The shellac should stop any weeping.

[jteneyck]

Sealcoat shellac followed by General Finishes High Performance Poly. I would apply at least 2 coats of gloss and then sand it smooth. Maybe another coat or two if the surface pores are deeper than you want. Sand the last coat flat and then apply one or two coats of the Flat or Satin finish. I always find the sheen about one level higher than GF claims, so if you want a dull satin go with the flat sheen.

Spraying is almost always best, but HP Poly goes on great with a foam brush, too.

John

[aruuk]

Thank you for the suggestions. I probably should know this but is any dewaxed shellac OK(like bullseye?) and should I thin the first coat?
Turns out I have some GF Poly so I can practice with that, never tried the Arm-r-Seal so I'll grab some to try on Monday. I miss my local Woodcraft, it was 6 minutes from my house.
Dave, thanks for your generous offer and yes I'm about 20 minutes from your shop. Very impressive work you turn out, your website is great.
Thank you jasfrank, Dave and John.
russ

[JR1]

Pretty much any shellac will be Ok. The only incompatibility with waxy shellac is NC lacquer. I buy shellac and mix my own as that way I can take advantage of natural colors and know what I am getting.

If you decide on a GF waterborne you will want something to accentuate the grain and shellac does that nicely.

If you decide to go with Arm-R-Seal try a test by it's self as it brings up the grain and looks good. Make sure to let it cure completely, it can take longer than GF says.

[jteneyck]

You want SealCoat shellac. It is the only commercially prepared shellac I'm aware of that's dewaxed. You can put most anything over it.

As long as you are going to buy some Arm-R-Seal try it on some scrap and then decide if you like it or HP Poly better. Arm-R-Seal is pretty easy to wipe on with a blue paper shop towel and gives a beautiful finish. Arm-R-Seal will look a little amber; HP Poly is dead clear and the only color will be from the shellac underneath.

John

[AHill]

I finished a wenge / curly maple jewelry box last year. I wet sanded between coats to reduce the size and depth of the open pores in the wenge. Mostly with 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper. It took several coats (can't remember how many - maybe 4), but it turned out great. I kept a gloss finish, but I would imagine any satin finish would be compatible with what I did. Sorry about the poor pic. I'm not home now and couldn't post any others that were already in my Photbucket account.