redgum coffee table

[himzol]

Hi Folks,

I'm wondering about a finish for a coffee table. It's made from recycled redgum ( old reatining wall) . The picture doesn't do it too much justice but it gives and idea at what was hiding under the wood rot and greying.

So how should it be finished? :confused:

Himzo

[echnidna]

lacquer

[Studley 2436]

Impressive table well done

[zenwood]

Beautiful looking timber. The dudes round here rave about various ebeaut products. Sellawax, EEE, and minwax tend to be favourites (this is entirely hearsay: I've tried none of these). I tend to do minimalist type finishes: few coats of tung oil, or wipe it down with shellac. For my next project I want to try some sanding sealer (never used it before) to see what effect it has. I have used a high gloss polyurethane on a bathroom cabinet for its waterproof properties, and that came out, funilly enough, with a high gloss finish.

I guess it depends on the effect your after, and the expected wear and tear on the piece.

[echnidna]

Lacquer won't darken the timber anywhere near as much as oil.

[Eastie]

If you have spray gear go with lacquer.
If not, a great finish is ubeauts hard shellac. Steer clear of oils on that peice as it will hide the fiddleback and darken the timber, making it diffcult to pick any feature.

I've had extremely good results on redgum using the following:
use a large soft bristled polishing mop apply a thinned sanding sealer coat of normal dewaxed shellac(with or without a little talc to fill grain), followed by building up the layers (lightly cutting them back with 1000+ paper in between). 3 layers is all I usually use, depending on how the piece looks. That should be all that's needed, but if you want you can cut back the final coat to a dry shine or alternatively use 0000 steel wool and wax to give a more subdued gloss/satin feel that is second to none.

[rsser]

With fine-grained redgum, I'd recommend Danish Oil. More durable than shellac-based finishes, darkens it not too much, repairable, increases the grain contrast nicely and finishes to a satin sheen or a higher lustre depending on how you use it.

[himzol]

Thanks guys,

so my choices are Lacquer (yes I have spray gear), Danish oil or the "great mans" Hard Shellac.

Hmmm, looks like I might have to do some experimenting on the underneath of the table top.

If any other ideas come up please let me know.

H.

[rsser]

'experimenting underneath the table top' ... hmm, sure you're on the right forum here H??

[ozwinner]

'experimenting underneath the table top' ... hmm, sure you're on the right forum here H??

Ern!!! :eek:

Al

[himzol]

'experimenting underneath the table top' ... hmm, sure you're on the right forum here H??

:confused: :confused:

[himzol]

use a large soft bristled polishing mop apply a thinned sanding sealer coat of normal dewaxed shellac(with or without a little talc to fill grain), followed by building up the layers (lightly cutting them back with 1000+ paper in between). 3 layers is all I usually use, depending on how the piece looks. That should be all that's needed, but if you want you can cut back the final coat to a dry shine or alternatively use 0000 steel wool and wax to give a more subdued gloss/satin feel that is second to none.

I've decidedto go with this method, thanks Eastie.

The oil just darkened the timber just a tad too much for my liking, and the laquer spraying technique deffinatly needs help

regards,

Himzo