Large Burl Table Finishing Question

Dan Mosley

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Palm Springs, Ca
Picture 1 and 2 is a table I made out of Redwood Burl and is on a wrought iron base in the pictures for now to cure the finish. It is hard to see but there were micro like cracks but after sanding and finishing do not show much at all. I put about 10 coats of spray Gloss Laquer on this one over a period of several weeks. Now drying for another week or so and i was wondering if i should wax the top of this or what others may do at this point in the finishing process.
Thoughts ??

Pictures 3 and 4 are the next project table top which is California Buckeye burl. I have started belt sanding the surface and dealing with the mircro cracks in a different way on this pc. Some of the cracks are very very small and some were bigger. Its hard to see in the pictures but in the one on the lower left you can see black type small lines which were cracks that i filled with black stone like powder and CA applied and then sanded. It seems this may work very well for the cracks.
Thoughts ?
For the finish i thought this time i would use some type of oil (that wont darked to much) and apply several coats - steel wooling or sanding with 400 or so between coats. Then build up layers of laquer again like on the above and using 0000 or 400 between coats etc.....
Anybody think of finishes that would work well on these large burls ??

Thanks Dan
 

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........ I put about 10 coats of spray Gloss Laquer on this one over a period of several weeks......That might be too many coats, not sure. The Product Data Sheets for that lacquer should contain that info. Most lacquers have a max dry film thickness of 4-5 mils. Tony B. .....Its hard to see in the pictures but in the one on the lower left you can see black type small lines which were cracks that i filled with black stone like powder and CA applied and then sanded. It seems this may work very well for the cracks. [COLOR="blue[B[COLOR="Blue"]]"]I also use CA glue to fill cracks and it works well for me. I usually just add saw dust instead of stone powders, but no reason they shouldnt work.[/B]Tony B[/COLOR[/COLOR]]
For the finish i thought this time i would use some type of oil (that wont darked to much) and apply several coats - steel wooling or sanding with 400 or so between coats. Then build up layers of laquer again like on the above and using 0000 or 400 between coats etc.....I generally dont use steel wool because you may end up leaving some small fibers behind after clean-up and they might rust under the finish. Also, steel wool is not really a good abrasive as compared to sanding paper. Tony B Anybody think of finishes that would work well on these large burls ??

Thanks Dan

Many people use a pour-on epoxy finish such as Envirotex or Liquid Glass on large slabs. The epoxy is great for adhering the bark edges to the wood and the stuff is bulletproof. That is the finish that is usually used in bars and restaurants.
 
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