Jewellery Box

Well, following Paul's recent post about the 37 boxes he's just completed :oo: here's my paltry effort of a single box. I do have another one on the go at the moment, but that's hardly an impressive output by comparison. :D
I haven't made any mitre joined boxes in a long time so these two current ones are a bit of a change for me. The carcase of this one is Spotted Gum with a Teak top panel, lined with chocolate coloured suede. Finished size is 310mm x 210mm x 110mm high. The finish is Mohawk semi-gloss pre-catalyzed lacquer applied by spray. Normally I use Feast Watson Fine Buffing Oil to finish boxes, but when I opened the can it had turned into a gelatinous blob. Nobody local had the Fine Buffing Oil in stock so it was fortunate that I had the Mohawk. Think I'll be looking for an alternative finish, anybody got any suggestions?
Apparently Andrew Crawford thinks the 2mm x 3mm secondary mortise at the bottom of the hinges is "ugly". :C In my experience most people don't even notice it, and most that do don't seem too perturbed. Horses for courses I guess.

Looks good. Calling the notch ugly is a bit of a stretch. Of course, he has a financial motivation for saying that. I also love the FW Fine Buffing Oil and have had the same problem with it gelling. Nowadays when I want a silky oiled-look finish I use a mix of equal parts polyurethane, pure tung oil and turpentine. You can vary the ratio to suit your taste.

Very nice box Aldav, quite impressive. And I love your hinges. I used to buy that fine buffing oil years ago, and even the cabots danish oil from Bunnings. But my finish on all my boxes has now been for years my own Danish Oil. 1/3 gloss polyurethane, whatever brand, 1/3 white spirits and 1/3 boiled linseed oil. A 1 litre bottle/can of all 3 gives me 10 of those 300ml coca coca bottles, (that my wife drinks),............and I use them down to the last drop. No more jellying up like the ones I previously mentioned when they got down to about a third or so left in the can.

Wipe on, wipe off first coat. Next day, wipe on with 1200 wet and dry, which cuts it in, then wipe off. Next day, cut back with 1200 wet and dry, (dry), then apply wax, (I just use the Bunnings wax now, good as anything), then buff on my lambswool disc on drill press. Next day repeat previous day. Lovely finish after a good sanding to start with.

Paul

Nice box aldav. Some people don't like the gum veins in the timber but I do. As for the little notches for the hinges, I have never had anyone complain about them as they only need to be quite small so hardly seen.
Is the Mowhawk an NC lacquer? I saw a number of boxes at a gallery in Bungendore yesterday that appeared to be finished with an NC lacquer and they looked very impressive.

Well done Dave:2tsup: and yes you are right, taking nothing away from your hinges, i have rarely had a client fixated on what type of hinges they are getting. The only question i ask is Brass or Chrome.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Treecycle

Nice box aldav. Some people don't like the gum veins in the timber but I do. As for the little notches for the hinges, I have never had anyone complain about them as they only need to be quite small so hardly seen.
Is the Mowhawk an NC lacquer? I saw a number of boxes at a gallery in Bungendore yesterday that appeared to be finished with an NC lacquer and they looked very impressive.

---

Hi Dallas, thanks for that. I'm in two minds about the gum veins, would have been a lot happier if any gum veined pieces were from a single continuous board so they travelled around the box. You have to work with what you've got though. The Mohawk lacquer is this one - Mohawk | Pre Catalyzed Clears M102-0410 - in the semi-gloss M102-0415. I bought 3 cans in mid 2020, it seems to have gone up in price quite a bit since then. What hasn't! :C

A very stylish box, David! I’ve never thought of spotted gum for boxes - at that density it must take a toll on your cutters :D That said, it looks very good!

Dallas - Mohawk brand NC lacquer is what used to be Behlens brand (USA) and is widely used in work by luthiers. I use it a lot - especially the semi-gloss and satin, plus the NC lacquer sanding sealer. You can buy it from Luthiers' supply places online or get it from the Australian distributor Multimaster in Sydney. (Attention Required! | Cloudflare) Australian catalogue of Mohawk products is extensive and well worth a look. (Attention Required! | Cloudflare)
Best regards,

Brian

PS Or you could buy the Aussie product Spraylac from Mirotone - also NC lacquer. Available at Carbatec Mirotone Semi Gloss Spray Lacquer | Carbatec and presumably many other places.

Nice box Aldav

I have only used Spotted Gum for laminated chopping boards (not for sale but just for home use), and as others have said it's a hard timber to work. But looks great on the box.

I am a fan of Ye Olde Danish Oil by Organoil as its made with Tung oil and has other natural products in it (and its made here in Sydney). Although I have never been able to ascertain the "varnish" ingredient of it.

But I also finish my boxes with my own paste wax using boiled linseed oil, beeswax, carnuba wax and mineral turpentine - I get the ingredients from an art supply wholesaler as the Bunnings versions are cut with all manner of substances.

Hard wax oils are also great for small boxes and leave a resilient finish.