Thread: Walnut thing - not sure really

That is a fine piece and one you should be proud of. A couple of people have mentioned the fine finish and I must say it is one of the first things I noticed. Rubbed out lacquer? What's the secret?

Originally Posted by ciscokid

That is a fine piece and one you should be proud of. A couple of people have mentioned the fine finish and I must say it is one of the first things I noticed. Rubbed out lacquer? What's the secret?

The finish is pretty simple. Its just 4 or 5 coats of Sanding Sealer, all rubbed back completely. Then a single coat of polyurethane varnish is applied, cut with about 30% Penetrol. The Penetrol adds a lot to the gloss by preventing brush and lap marks and making it self-level.

Because there is really only one coat there, it doesnt feel plasticy.

I normally try to ALMOST fill the grain with the sanding sealer. I dont like an open grain and an orange peel effect (looks crude), but nor do I like a completely smooth mirror finish (looks fake), so I like a finish where if you look obliquely along the surface you can just see the tiny indentations in the surface where the pores have soaked up more of the finish then the gaps between the pores.

I dont imagine that this type of finish is nearly as good as french polishing or any other type of specialised finish, but finishing is not really something I'm intrested in so I find this a pretty good compromise.

cheers
Arron

Nice work Arron, nothing like a challenge.

That's a seriously beautiful piece!

would love to see a downscaled version as a jewellery box or something, keep up the good work!