Quick update based on a sample I tried (Recall this thread is about finding a protective finish for oak that will retain the unfinished color and not amber it)
I took a 3/4" rift-sawn white oak board and sanded it up to 180 on both sides.
On the left is the sanded unfinished oak.
On the right is with the Rubio Monocoat "Natural" finish. (ignore the dark oak board the sample is sitting on)
(01-19-2022, 06:18 AM)fredhargis Wrote: From an appearance standpoint it looks like you found what you needed. I can't tell the difference between the 2 pieces.
Certainly not in these photos. Held up to light, you can obviously see the sheen on the one and the feel different.. Also the Rubio I think adds a bit of white pigment into the pores.
Now we just have to decide for sure that's the look we want.
Lacquer or water based poly are your best bet I think. I used lacquer on the inside of all my beech drawers for kitchen cabinets and they have not yellowed after 5 years. Target water based poly gets great reviews but I haven't used it myself. I hate working with lacquer but that's probably what I'd use if I was spraying. #2 I would spray poly. #3 I would brush poly. You can brush (some) lacquer but I wouldn't do that on something I had to look at all the time, i.e.- I might do it in a pinch on the inside of something like a drawer.
(01-19-2022, 08:00 AM)ajkoontz Wrote: Lacquer or water based poly are your best bet I think. I used lacquer on the inside of all my beech drawers for kitchen cabinets and they have not yellowed after 5 years. Target water based poly gets great reviews but I haven't used it myself. I hate working with lacquer but that's probably what I'd use if I was spraying. #2 I would spray poly. #3 I would brush poly. You can brush (some) lacquer but I wouldn't do that on something I had to look at all the time, i.e.- I might do it in a pinch on the inside of something like a drawer.
It didn't age inside the drawer because light didn't get to it. W/o the HALS UV package the underlying wood will age if it's exposed to light. That might not be much with some woods, but it can be a lot for others like cherry.
I'm guessing that RM has no HALS system; if it did they would brag about it in their literature. The color match today looks perfect, but I suspect the wood is going to age over a few years. That might be completely acceptable with white oak.
01-19-2022, 04:56 PM (This post was last modified: 01-19-2022, 04:57 PM by mound.)
(01-19-2022, 11:06 AM)jteneyck Wrote: It didn't age inside the drawer because light didn't get to it. W/o the HALS UV package the underlying wood will age if it's exposed to light. That might not be much with some woods, but it can be a lot for others like cherry.
I'm guessing that RM has no HALS system; if it did they would brag about it in their literature. The color match today looks perfect, but I suspect the wood is going to age over a few years. That might be completely acceptable with white oak.
John
Forgive me, what is HALS referring to?
I don't mind if the wood ages, in fact I've got a sample board sitting in direct sunlight I'm going to observe. I'm just hoping to avoid the pronounced amber/"orange" that usually happens with Poly etc. "Honey Oak" eeeww.. hah. If it ages a bit darker but not in the amber direction, I think would be quite acceptable.
Also, re: water based poly (@ajkoontz) I thought of that too, it does the trick for color as well, but I don't like that "layer of plastic" look in this context.
(01-19-2022, 04:56 PM)mound Wrote: Forgive me, what is HALS referring to?
I don't mind if the wood ages, in fact I've got a sample board sitting in direct sunlight I'm going to observe. I'm just hoping to avoid the pronounced amber/"orange" that usually happens with Poly etc. "Honey Oak" eeeww.. hah. If it ages a bit darker but not in the amber direction, I think would be quite acceptable.
Also, re: water based poly (@ajkoontz) I thought of that too, it does the trick for color as well, but I don't like that "layer of plastic" look in this context.
HALS = Hindered Amine Light Stabilization - I think. Doesn't matter, it's a UV stabilizer that protects the underlying wood from aging when exposed to light.
If you only care about preventing the finish from yellowing then do as KCF recommended and use a flat or matte sheen waterborne like GF's Enduro Clear Poly. Two coats on the raw wood will look like no finish on it at all. It won't look like plastic. The RM may work just as well. I don't know. I do know the Clear Poly won't yellow.
Don't want to start a fight here, but I'm telling you Minwax rattle can laquer doesn't yellow, even in direct sunlight. I mean it yellows some, but not at all like poly or oil. I left out the part that my kitchen has been on-going for 5 years (embarrassing, I know) but my drawer fronts have been exposed to sunlight (because I haven't built the fronts yet) and you can't tell the difference at all between the non-exposed sides and the drawer fronts.
In any case, laquer may or may not be the best product for the OP. But, I did want to throw laquer out as an option. I was always intimidated by it or at least never looked to use it as a finish but once I started using it, it was a game changer. The protection of poly (water or oil) without the heavy yellowing or plastic look. Rattle cans work just fine. Even better, the Mohawk pre-catalyzed laquer is awesome. I use a $100 Earlex HVLP sprayer (like the ones Rockler sells), and have had great results. It dries fast and as long as you're careful is relatively easy to get a nice finish out of. Only downside is the smell, overspray, and cleaning the gun.
I'm really late to this party but wanted to ask:
Have any of you use automotive clears in such cases?
They have a very UV inhibitors as the base coats that they cover have non. And that is one of the major reasons early clears seem to peel so much. Not enough UV blockers in them so the sunlight damaged the underlying layers causing de-lamination. At least that is what I've read.
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