Jewelry Armoire Finish Help

[sheperd80]

Hi folks, brand new to the forum and could use some advice. I'm taking on a new project which honestly may be a little out of my league but i welcome the challenge!

Im making my girlfriend a jewelry armoire. I'm a custom home finish carpenter with some limited experience building cabinetry and furniture, but when it comes to finish i'm green as the day is long. I did some staining and glazing in a cabinet shop and thats about it!

First off, its going to be a standing unit with small drawers and opening side panels. The entire thing will be pocket screwed for no visible fastening. I plan to use bubinga (the girlfriend fell in love when i showed her a piece) for the drawer fronts and possibly some other highlights, with the rest of the unit made of something cheaper than can take a nice dark stain.

I was thinking Alder would do the job with a dark walnut or maybe even ebony stain. I'll have to make some samples to get the right colors figured out but im set on dark and glossy with bubinga highlights.

I dont have any spraying equipment so im looking for a good hand-applied finish that will really make the bubinga pop. Ive heard mixed opinions on the various oils and waxes available and im just not really sure where to start.

Any advice about the finish or anything else about my project would be greatly appreciated, and i look forward to being part of the forum. Thanks!

[Master Splinter]

A very easy to apply (and available in the US) solution is Minwax Wipe-on Polyurethane. Durable and forgiving (well, for a polyurethane). You can dye/stain the timber under it to your heart's content.

However...oils do have a charm all of their own - see this thread for more.... https://www.woodworkforums.com/f9/nee...nishes-160229/

[sheperd80]

Ive used that before and it came out great on maple. Wasnt sure how it would do with bubinga buy i will look into it. Thanks for the reply

[LGS]

Hi,
How much more expensive would Bubinga veneer be over the cost of Alder and stain? I think you will be selling the Armoire short by using timber that has been obviously stained to contrast a beautiful piece of Bubinga.
I am also a big fan of Oil finishes and would suggest to you Liberon pure Tung oil applied using 1:3 dilution in White Spirit and using the this method. The finish is brilliant and brings the grain up beautifully.
Liberon Tung Oil is resiliantto most day to day issues that you may have and can be wiped down with kitches spray cleaners without damage to the finish!
The combination of an apparently full Bubinga Armoire coupled with a luxurious finish will be a winner for you.

Regards,

Rob

[Master Splinter]

I have to say nothing feels nicer than a good oil finish - its like matt celloglaze on a book...

[sheperd80]

Hi,
How much more expensive would Bubinga veneer be over the cost of Alder and stain? I think you will be selling the Armoire short by using timber that has been obviously stained to contrast a beautiful piece of Bubinga.
I am also a big fan of Oil finishes and would suggest to you Liberon pure Tung oil applied using 1:3 dilution in White Spirit and using the this method. The finish is brilliant and brings the grain up beautifully.
Liberon Tung Oil is resiliantto most day to day issues that you may have and can be wiped down with kitches spray cleaners without damage to the finish!
The combination of an apparently full Bubinga Armoire coupled with a luxurious finish will be a winner for you.

Regards,

Rob

You make a good point. Its like putting $5000 rims on a $700 car. And my project is fairly small in terms of board footage so cheaper wood isnt going to save me much.

I still like the idea of high contrast though. Maybe some walnut, mahogany or even wenge veneer would do well with the bubinga?

After browsing around here a bit and elsewhere on the web ive seen bubinga used with a variety of other woods. It has such a unique character to it and it seems to go well with other darks or reds.

And thanks for that link. I like the idea of a more natural oil finish. I work with an ex furniture builder who loves tung oil as well and showed me a piece of waterfall bubinga with tung oil finish. It was gorgeous! Of course i dont think i can get waterfall around here but thats OK.

WIP pics coming as soon as i get going.

[sheperd80]

Anyone have experience with using thick veneers? I can make 1/4" or maybe 1/8" veneers but it sounds like trouble gluing something like that to plywood or other box material. Having trouble finding imfo om this.

[Master Splinter]

You shouldn't have any problems with veneers up to about 3mm (that's like....ummm.... 3mm in fractional inches) as that's still thin enough not to struggle with the substrate.

[LGS]

I'd suggest you use the full range of grits for the solid timber, but start sanding at 120-150 for the veneer. Remember you are only sanding back and forth for ten up and back strokes, which shouldn't damage the veneer even at 3mm ( 1/8"). Just make sure you let the ROS do the work, don't push it.

Great to hear that you will use some quality timber to highlight the Bubinga. It really will be worth the effort. Makes the difference between a present and a long lasting gift.

Regards,

Rob

[sheperd80]

Ive been playing with some bubinga boards and waterfall bubinga veneers. Im not liking the glossy polyurethane on the veneers. It seems to diminish the waterfall effect and just looks unnatural. Granted im only sanding to 200 then poly, then steel wool and a 2nd coat. But i think it gives a good enough idea of what the finish will be like.

Next up is a tung oil blend recommended by a coworker.

My gf's totally set on waterfall bubinga so im gonna do veneer drawer fronts and maybe a few other things.

And because i dont want to venture into veneering the whole thing, im leaning towards walnut for the construction of the top, face frame, wing doors, legs etc.

I stained up some Alder samples out of curiosity (and cheapness). It looks pretty good with red mahogany stain and poly, but it isnt even enough. It want consistent dark wood to showcase the bubinga. Walnuts gonna cost me.

If only i had started this project 2 years ago, i would have access to plenty of walnut waste from the job i was on!

[LGS]

Hi Shepard,

What's in the Tung Oil "blend"?

Regards,

Rob

[sheperd80]

Pure tung oil with a little bit of citrus solvent.

[LGS]

Hi,

That's great! Do you intend trying the burnishing protocol? It will make a difference to the final finish and durability f the Oil.

Regards,

Rob

[sheperd80]

Yes Rob I read through the thread you linked. If i do finally decide to go with oil i will definitely burnish it. The finish on that table looks amazing without being too plastic-like. And there is the undeniable appeal of a really natural finish that respects the timber instead of changing it...if that makes any sense at all.

[LGS]

Makes perfect sense.