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#41
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Finish for oak end tables
Believe half of what you read? Does that apply to your posts? Just
kidding. My next table I'm going to try shellac. But I'm afrad if I go shellac that I may never go back. Thanks for the info. "Patrick Olguin" wrote in message m... "stoutman" .@. wrote in message news:sXHPb.101955$nt4.314737@attbi_s51... I don't claim to know everything about finishes, hell I just started this wooddorking stuff a year and a half ago. I have just read a lot of negative things about shelackky. I am reluctant to use it on "high use" items based on what I have read. There's an inherent danger in armchair woodworking (or armchair anything for that matter). While arming (pun intended) oneself with as much information as possible before plunging madly into some sort of endeavor is a good idea, eliminating a viable solution (for any kind of problem), based merely on what you've read seems to be on the close-minded end of things. Believe 3/4 of what you see, 1/2 of what you read and 1/4 of what you hear. I dunno who said that. As for shellac's supposed vulnerability to water - did you know buttonlac (shellac that's prepared in a rather unusual way - it's wrapped up in cloth and literally roasted over a fire; the molten lac is subsequently squeezed out in fat drops and allowed to cool on steel plate, forming a button-like glob of resin) is the preferred finish for the hulls of wooden whitewater canoes? The reason is because the buttonlac is quite hard, is resistant to (cold) water, is easily renewed and slips over rocks and boulders like you can't believe. If an oak end table is getting heavier use than the hull of a whitewater canoe, then well, there are some serious issues going on in that living room. As for my analysis on the whys and wherefores of shellac's replacement finishes, it is based on conversations/correspondence with many pros in the finishing field, including exporters of shellac, finish manufacturig reps, published authors (like Bob Flexner and Jeff Jewitt to name a few), and my own observations of the industry. I'm a bit reluctant to quote people directly, as I was not conducting interviews and so I don't have their permission. So, while these opinions are my own, they are not baseless. Spraying to all fields - Watsoni and I have had many off-line conversations, and so he and I go back a bit of a ways. He knows my druthers on lacquer, having sprayed/polished/breathed my own fair share while toiling in automotive spray booths. I used to use lacquer on woodDorking projects as well, and I can't argue any of Tom's points on it's ease of spraying, clarity and ability to take a high polish. I do, however object to that plasticky look/feel one typically sees on such otherwise fine articles of woodworking known as guitars. I think once you've seen a french polished guitar (or ukelele), there's no going back to lacquer. For some astounding work in shellacked instruments, check this site: http://www.ukuleles.com (The owner/build is a former customer) Lastly, a sanity check on "high-use" furniture. Without sounding condescending, it seems on so many fronts we want to have it all. In the case of dining/kitchen tables, there has evolved this expectation that one ought to be able to achieve a french-polish-like finish, and still be able to glue model airplanes, change the baby, pull ear mites from the cat, refinish an old radio, cook a small pig on a spit, serve dinner on rustic stoneware, strip the finish off an old jewelry box and feed the family on that one magically finishes surface, all without consequence. I (and I'm not alone, or companies like www.tablepads.com wouldn't exist) employ table clothes, coasters and trivets to protect the table's finish. This is only briefly, during mealtime. The rest of the day, the dining table is displayed in all it's wonderful glory (such as it is). Minor water spills, provided they're wiped up within a day or two are gone without a trace. Yes, I said a day or two. If you can't get to a spill withing a couple days, you are a slacker and deserve a damaged finish. A spilled alcoholic drink? Hahahahahahaahahahaha. Way too dillute to bother shellac, unless you judiciously refresh the spill for a few days. What kind of craziness would that be? I mean fer chrissakes people are still refinishing their floors with shellac, and we're worried about end tables getting too hard use? Shellac - it's the only finish that's a combination dessert topping, floor wax and hairspray... and it's certainly good enough, if not the best choice, for casual end tables. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. O'Deen |
#42
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Finish for oak end tables
"stoutman" .@. wrote in message news:eYVPb.102897$5V2.382155@attbi_s53...
Believe half of what you read? Does that apply to your posts? Of course. Glad the irony wasn't wasted. |
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