Carnauba Wax, has anyone tried...?

[rsser]

Well, the Waxstik is designed for turners. You rub it hard against your spinning work. It'd be darn hard work otherwise.

[rsser]

Oh, and the point of the previous post was to suggest that while Neil's book is a terrific reference, there's a lot more to restoring than finishing new work.

[astrid]

The hard wax sticks I've got are intended to be heated and melted to fill cracks and small holes.
The heat from a lathe would do just the same thing i supose.
What I meant about restoration was that you have to have a broader knowledge but the depth can vairey

Can anyone tell me why my spell check seems to turn itself on and off at random?
I cant see an on button anywhere?

Astrid

[Jim Carroll]

I was always under the assumption that you are supposed to grain fill before applying the finish.
Makes for a better finish overall.

[MacS]

Jim,

Your right, although grain filling is labor intensive and time consuming, at the end of the job you will save time, labor, and money because you will be applying less clear coats to complete the work, and you will end up with a much better and finer finish in the end.

MacS

[rsser]

Hey guys, read the original post again.

[astrid]

Thanks Ern,
Grain fill is OK but it tends to muddy up the overall look,
If you have a really lovely old timber, its better to fill the grain with polish then you get the full effect, but it is time consuming. even more so than using grain filler.

Astrid

[MacS]

If you use one of the colored paste wood fillers, and you do it right, it don't muddy up the finish, in fact the contrast of the filler against the natural wood or the stain improves and enhances the finish.

[astrid]

Hey, Ho guys,
Could we get back to my original question?
Has anyone done this, And whats the result?

Astrid

[Cruzi]

Cedar has some hell pores that resist all kinds of filling, sometimes it feels like the whole thing is hollow.

Would be concerned about using CW to fill these.

The photo shows a finishing experiment that went wrong, not only did the white stuff appear it also "collapsed" (for want of a better term) after a few weeks, ie the smooth finish didn't remain smooth, the grain texture appeared again.

Have read that the major disadvantage to using finishes to fill is they can shrink and re-open the pores, something grain fillers are designed not to do.


With regard to grain filler/sealers, personal experiments indicate that Feast Watson Sealer is a great filler but can muddy the timber if too thick (sanding often fixes this) and Wattyl Timber Sealer is more of a sanding sealer than pore filler but hardly affects the beauty of the wood.

Before I get too far off track, CW will eventually fill the pores, but do not think that it will be a long lasting finish.

[Jim Carroll]

Ern not really of topic just trying to establish why the job was not grain filled in the first place, so not having to resort to other ways to get the finish

Ok so you dont like to grain fill at the start.

Why use a wax to grain fill.

You indicate that you use the finish to grain fill but now you want to use a wax to do the job.

Is not any type of wax more a polish than a finish, whether it is beeswax, carnaubra etc.

If you use the wax to grain fill is it not more likely to wear out quicker and show the bad grain filling job than a good finish.

[MacS]

Wax is not the way to go to fill the open grains, its a band-aid.
The right way to do grain filling is by using a paste wood filler.

Its not a big deal, once you learn how to do it right. If your using burlap or cloth to rub off the excess filler, its the hard and long way, the easier way is to do it is by scraping off the filler once the filler goes flat.

There is even a finishing technique to" color" the open grains, without filling the open grains, you can color the grains but not the woods.

[astrid]

I Know its a band aid guys,
read my original post.

Astrid

[MacS]

I re-read your post, what stands out to me is it's a "small cedar table " If it was small you should have "paste wood filled" the open grains, its the right way to go, its also the fastest.

Think Twice, Finish Once.

[astrid]

MacS If you READ my post I said that in this case I probably should have used grain filler, OK.
I have sucessfully polished dozens of small cedar tables or drawers, or chairs etc and my preference is to use shellac as was done traditionaly.
OK so in hindsight, this one would have been better filled with whatever.
Jim , I stu ff ed up. OK. Something all of us do sometimes.

Ern, the table is finished and looks beautiful, Thanks
I was not intending a french polish finish, which is why i used Danish oil.

Astrid