If you had four Grandfather clocks to finish....

[JSpill]

what would you use to make the task as easy as possible?
Four clocks--two red oak, one ash, one cherry.
They will be stained. I'm not comfortable enough to spray, so I will use a wipe on or brush on stain. What is a good product to use?
After staining, I would like to apply a satin finish. I have used Waterlox in the past and I do like the results. Does this sound like a decent plan? I fear finishing projects. That's why I want to try to keep things as simple as possible. All suggestions appreciated.

[JR1]

First don ' screw with stain. Use shellac and add transtint if needed to adjust the color. It will bring out the grain nicely and may be all that is needed. If you want UV protection or a satin finish you might want to topcoat with GF High Performance. This would be a good project to learn to spray. Shellac wipes on and sprays easily but can be difficult to brush. GF HP brushes well but is very easy to spray.

[jteneyck]

If you have nice wood to start with I would dye the wood with Transtint dye in water. Sand to at least 325 grit, then raise the grain and carefully sand off the fuzz. Then flood on the dye with a sponge and wipe off the excess with the same sponge after wringing it out. Now you can apply your wipe on topcoat, Waterlox, Arm-R-Seal, etc. with a rag, paper towel, or brush.

If the wood is not that nice, I would still dye it, but then I'd spray it with rattle can shellac to seal the dye, and then apply a glaze. GF's oil based Gel Stains work great as a glaze. Just brush it on with a foam brush and wipe it off with a rag. After that's dry you can apply your topcoats.

John

[Shovel Man]

My quick and reliable finish for light duty (not tabletops) is a wipe on / wipe off stain. Let dry a few days then a coat of 1 lb shellac applied with a brush. I don't seem to have trouble brushing shellac, maybe because I use only 1 lb. Scour with crocus cloth or sand lightly if needed, then recoat. Scour again to knock down the shine and plasticky feel. Done.

However! this will not work for me on Cherry or Maple and some others due to blotching. For those I have no recipe.