How could this be done

[Los_Lobos]

Hello all, I am working on a box and was wondering what the best way to finnish it would be. It is walnut with maple pulls. One side is about 12"h X 7"w X 7"d and other side is the same except only 10"h. The problem I am seeing is getting some kind of finish into the tight curves. Would a wipe on oil, maybe Danish oil be a good choice and will it build to a shine? Would I need a sealer of some kind if I used an oil finnish? Any ideas on the best way to do this?

P.S. still sanding this box

Thanks, Les

[Stretch]

I'd shoot it with lacquer. If you don't have spray equipment I've had good results with rattle can lacquer. Shoot a coat let it dry and sand off the nibs with 320. Shoot a few more coats to build it up a little and sand again with 320, then a final coat of Satin lacquer and you'll have a beautiful finish. Clear lacquer on walnut is gorgeous.

[TDHofstetter]

I think the spray lacquer might "blow" really badly in the tight spots...

I b'lieve I'd dip it in Watco. Three, four, five times, turning it upside-down to drain after each dipping, then rubbing out the excess after it's soaked in each time. That'll build to a nice shine.

[cabinetman]

I would use a wiping version of an oil base varnish or polyurethane, and use dry brushes to get into tight areas, and I would get it just wet enough. Too much in a tight area may start running when you don't think it will.

[Gecko]

I would suggest Watco oil. And to help build up the shine, I would wet sand the oil in. This will help fill in the grain on the Walnut. When I do this, I cover with oil, let it soak in, wipe it down and let it dry. Then I do the same procedure only wet sanding with 300 grit. I continue this process moving up through the grits until I have achieved the build up and smoothness I want. It is not a quick, one day way to do it, but it will achieve a beautiful finish with no issues in the tight corners.

[Ruffnek]

I agree with Stretch. I'd spray it with Lacquer from a rattle can. It will dry very quickly, allowing multiple coats in a single day. It will cover all the crevices and tight areas and it will not retain an odor inside, behind the drawers.

Those are very nice, BTW. I've seen that design on the cover of one of the bandsaw box books.

[cabinetman]

Feb 5, 2010 23:22:19 GMT -6 TDHofstetter said:

I think the spray lacquer might "blow" really badly in the tight spots...

What happens with spraying lacquer is that it dries very fast, and continued spraying or "catch all" spraying will get a dried build up, as it doesn't stay wet long enough to meld with itself. This is especially true with rattle cans as there is no way to retard the medium.

OTOH, if spraying with a compressor and a gun, adding retarder can lengthen the dry time to allow the tight areas to stay wet longer. Care has to be taken on the ratio of the mix, as there is the possibility of runs.

[Joe Lyddon]

Feb 6, 2010 11:28:32 GMT -6 Ruffnek said:

I agree with Stretch. I'd spray it with Lacquer from a rattle can. It will dry very quickly, allowing multiple coats in a single day. It will cover all the crevices and tight areas and it will not retain an odor inside, behind the drawers.

Those are very nice, BTW. I've seen that design on the cover of one of the bandsaw box books.

What are some good sources / brands of rattle cans of lacquer?
Is it always Clear or come in colors?

[TDHofstetter]

Deft is a very typical brand of clear - it's very widely available. There are lots of competing brands, though.

It's available not only clear (as in Deft), but in every shade of the rainbow if you look in less-usual places for it.

[Joe Lyddon]

I remembering painting with Deft many years ago... it was good stuff & did a good job IIRC...

I don't remember if it was lacquer or not...

Is all Deft lacquer?

Sounds good! Thank you!

[Ruffnek]

Feb 7, 2010 12:39:34 GMT -6 Joe Lyddon said:

Feb 6, 2010 11:28:32 GMT -6 Ruffnek said:

I agree with Stretch. I'd spray it with Lacquer from a rattle can. It will dry very quickly, allowing multiple coats in a single day. It will cover all the crevices and tight areas and it will not retain an odor inside, behind the drawers.

Those are very nice, BTW. I've seen that design on the cover of one of the bandsaw box books.

What are some good sources / brands of rattle cans of lacquer?
Is it always Clear or come in colors?

Deft is the brand I use.

For the uninformed, it's also the same recipe as the Deft Brushing Lacquer which means that it's already retarded. There's no problem with burn-in. It even has an adjustable tip to vary the spray pattern.

I use one of those spray handles that attach to the rattle can and give a trigger pull vs pressing the spray cap.

For small items, it is perfect as it doesn't make much sense to break out the spray gun just to spray a couple of ounces of finish. When done, turn the can upside down and spray until it comes clear. The can will be ready to spray again when you are ready to apply another coat.

[Stretch]

I've used Deft rattle cans and more recently Minwax rattle can lacquer. The Minwax rattle can lacquer has an advertised drying time of 30 minutes which tells me it's probably got some retarder in it as well. Also, you can speed up/slow down the drying time of lacquer with the temperature of the shop you're spraying in. This time of year it shouldn't too hard to get a wet coat into the curves with a rattle can, you'll just have to spray from both sides.

[jim@jlazy3]

We have KWAL paint stores in this neck of the woods, and they handle Gemini brand lacquer. I use pre-catylized lacquer over vinyl sealer....Gemini also sells rattle can versions of the sealer, and the pre-cat, works like a charm! I would sure recommend it.