Finish for Flamed Maple

[Tim Toberer]

What are your favorite finishes for figured maple? My preference is tung oil then shellac. I have a couple grades of shellac I usually mix. I have a waterslide deal I need to use and I am not sure how it will work with the shellac. I thought I may start with dewaxed, then apply the waterslide and shellac over that with orange waxed shellac using my "French polish" method. This is a time consuming finish, but it is my favorite. Part of me just wants to use some water based poly because it is quick and easy. Problem is it will not highlight the maple in the way I want. It doesn't bring out the grain like oil.

No toxic finished for me though, been through enough of that. Maybe there are some options I haven't considered? Love the look of old Bigsbys and Sho Buds, but I am guessing they used lacquer. Another option which is slightly toxic is Butcher Block Oil which is very similar to the finish used on old Gibsons I believe. It stinks bad, but dissipates quickly and is "non toxic" when dry.

[Javier Schulenburg]

I've only worked with very lightly figured European maple a few times, but my favourite finish for it as well as most other woodworking projects is alkyd spar varnish, sometimes with a light coat of linseed oil underneath if time is not a constraint, it highlights any natural wood grain quite well in my experience, not the most non-toxic as it still contains light hydrocarbons, but much less toxic and smelly than any nitro lacquer I've tried and very durable.

[Tim Toberer]

Thanks Javier, what brand of spar varnish? There is quite a bit of variation between finishes sold as spar varninsh. The Watco Butcher Block Oil is basically a spar varnish I believe and the only one I could find locally. It is Tung oil with alkyd resin and some chemical driers. It does work well and dries quickly.

There are a couple others I forgot to mention Tru Oil gunstock finish which many people love, but can take as much as 20 coats, and Tried and True Varnish, which is the only commercially available varnish I could find that does not contain chemical driers. I am worried how long it takes to dry though. Supposedly if the work is set out in the sun the Tried and True varnish cures pretty quickly.

[George Piburn]

GeorgeBoards™ uses CAB Acrylic Lacquer Sherwood chemical coatings from Sherwin Williams commercial division, available at most SW Retail stores. + it's associated sanding sealer. + Retarding thinner.

Superior to all Nitrocellulose formulas, super clear , dries to sand quickly - can be pushed with warm environment. Your water stickers will apply to completely dry no worries. THis material can even FIX beauty cracks in normal Lacquers.

Works with a HVLP sprayer - and even with those Preval aerosol sprayers.

I've successfully used with Poplar-Walnut-KOA- MAHOGANY- MAPLE- Sepelle - Pine

Hope this helps someone.

Maple2-Veneer-2013-head.jpeg

[Javier Schulenburg]

The brand I use is "Tiger" but as far as I know it's just the store brand of Hornbach so it's probably not available in the USA, but I've found that other ("Bondex" brand for example) glossy clear alkyd varnishes work similarly well. Looking at the websites of Lowe's and Home Depot, it seems to me that polyurethane is the more common option in the USA, while clear Alkyd alkyd varnishes seem non-existent.

[Tim Toberer]

GeorgeBoards™ uses CAB Acrylic Lacquer Sherwood chemical coatings from Sherwin Williams commercial division, available at most SW Retail stores. + it's associated sanding sealer. + Retarding thinner.

Thanks, looks like a really good product, they seem to have a few other options too. I will definitely keep that in mind if I get a chance to set up a spray booth, but I need something that can be brushed or applied with a rag.

[Tim Toberer]

The brand I use is "Tiger" but as far as I know it's just the store brand of Hornbach so it's probably not available in the USA, but I've found that other ("Bondex" brand for example) glossy clear alkyd varnishes work similarly well. Looking at the websites of Lowe's and Home Depot, it seems to me that polyurethane is the more common option in the USA, while clear Alkyd alkyd varnishes seem non-existent.

Yah it's all Polyurethane at the big box stores. There are a few danish oil options, but real varnishes have mostly disappeared. I usually just end up using shellac or water based poly, but A good varnish would be superior. The Tried and True looks the most appealing. Some violin makers even setup UV lights and suspend the instrument to aid curing. I would probably jut wait for a sunny day Lol!

[Erv Niehaus]

I prefer lacquer in a rattle can when refinishing.
It is an easy product to work with and gives an excellent finish.