Finishing Silky Oak

[Eastie]

I'm in the process of finalising a silky oak/red gum cabinet (yes Neil - that wonderful deep red timber that lends itself soooo well to woodworking )

Is there any bonus with silky oak in sanding above a 600 abrasive before finishing?
I'm inclined to think the higher the abrasive the higher the feature contrast ?

Besst wishes,
Mark

[This message has been edited by Eastie (edited 15 March 2002).]

[ubeaut]

G'day Eastie - Sorry about the delay but just returned from a wonderful weekend of woodturning at Wagga Wagga.

The general rule of thumb on sanding for all furnture is to stop at around 400 grit. The thinking behind this is that the finish adheres better to the slightly rougher surface.

I usually sand up to at least 800 and in in many cases 1200, especially for hand finishes like french polish or shellac & wax, etc. My thinking is the finer the preparation the better the finish. I have never had a finish fall off. I find it best to wet down the surface with either metho or warm water after the final grit. I allow it to dry then lightly sand again with the finest grit this removes any torn timber and and sets up a beautiful fine base for the finish.

If you intend to spray then I would probably stop at the 600 as the finer sanding in some cares may actually hinder the application of the finish and will more than likely set up an orange peel effect. If you do sand higher it would be advisable to spray a very weak coat of lacquer first, this should soak in and adhere better than a full coat giving a better surface to build the rest on.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil

PS the finer sanding won't help with the feature contrast. The finish will see to that. If you want more depth of colour and feature, try applying a coat of raw linseed before the finish. This is a traditional base that will give you the contrast, however, it also darkens the timber somewhat. Try on a scrap piece first to see if you are happy with the effect.

[Sir Chiz]

Eastie,I've turned a couple bowls from silky oak (lacewood) and used a first coat of pure tung oil mixed 50/50 with naptha,then a few coats of Waterlox brand varnish.They look nice.The tung oil will enhance the grain like linseed oil but won't darken the wood as much.
Like the Boss said,test on scrap first.
I don't know if you have Waterlox available but it's a good product.

Phil.



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I Love The Smell Of Sawdust In The Morning,
It Smells Like....Victory!

[Eastie]

Thanks for the advice.
I've trialed a piece of the silky oak as follows:

a. sanded up to 1200 grit (metho before last pass),
b. brushed on 4 coats of shellac,
c. lightly burnished with oooo steel wool,
d. cut back with eee, &
e. polished with shellawax cream.

Results: the many half used tins of orica crap are now sitting in the sun, lids off, drying out ready for garbage disposal.

[This message has been edited by Eastie (edited 22 March 2002).]