Questions before I apply finish

Tom Baugues

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Lafayette, Indiana
Here is my first finished bowl/plate project out of walnut. I still have some light sanding to do. The darker stripes are in the wood itself. At first I thought I somehow caused that while sanding but it is smooth. The grain of the wood looks like it may still have some fine dust in the pores of the wood. Do I need to do something with this before I apply a finish. Can I wipe it down with a lightly damp cloth or will that raise the grain too much? I plan on buying some kind of oil finish tomorrow to put on it. What looks best on walnut? What is the best way to apply an oil finish? Brush...cloth?

Tom
 

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Your bowl/plate is looking real nice, Tom. :thumb:

The fine dust can usually be blown off the piece if you have an air compressor and a blow nozzle. If not, wiping it with mineral spirits should remove most of the dust. You can wipe it with water (preferably distilled, but I just use tap), but it will indeed raise the grain, causing you to have to re-sand with fine paper (I use 600 grit) before applying the finish, and you'd still be back at the 'dust in the pores' problem.

Don's BLO suggestion is fine...if you want to use BLO and wait a few days for it to cure before putting anything over it. I usually go with a few coats of a wipe-on oil/varnish blend like Minwax Antique Oil or Formby's Tung Oil Finish. They tend to cure more quickly than BLO, and I like the finished results better than the wipe-on polyurethane finishes I've tried.
 
If I use the Minwax oil or Tung oil do I need to buff them when dry? I don't have any way to buff bowls yet. I am going to Woodcraft and Rockler tomorrow so if I need to buff then I will need to pick up a few more items. Damn the vortex!

Tom
 
Tom,

You an also wipe down with Denatured Alcohol to get rid of the dust, but I use the compressor and blast the sandpaper before I go to the next grit. Greatly extends the life of the sandpaper.

If you are going to get a buffing system at Woodcraft, get the Beall system. A similar buffing system is from Don Pencil, but I think you have to order it on line.
 
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Tom I generally use two finishes. General Finishes Seal-A-Cell topped with Arm-R-Seal. The other is Minwax Antique Oil. Buffing is in the eye of the beholder. I don't buff all bowls.
 
Well, I'm done. Here is my first completed project. Made out of walnut. Finish is just one coat of Tung oil and lightly buffed. Not perfect by any means but it is a start. I see EVERY imperfection but overall I am happy with it. It was fun to make and has me excited about turning more.
I found a small glass dish at my local Goodwill store for .25 cents and placed it on top of my plate and added a candle.
Comments and critics welcome,

Tom
 

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Don't use water, use mineral spirits. Then take some BLO and wipe it down with that. Then apply some wipe on poly. Great looking Bowl/Plate

Mineral Spirits won't raise the grain like pure water will. that would be the purpose of the wipe down IMO... Wiping with MS would clear any dust particles but not raise the grain. I always raise the grain and then resand and raise again and resand till there is no grain raising. Always use bottled or distilled water as tap or well or cistern water has minerals that may coat the wood surface and create a blimish in the coloring.

Tom those dark lines is a curling effect on slow growth Walnut trees, When you apply a good ambering oil, they will show up even better, Good looking piece and waiting to see the final outcome.
 
I'm too late. But would have opted for BLO to clean. And would have suggested applying the oil finish with bare hands. I favor that for oil on walnut finishes as the heat from the hands helps deepen the absorption and gives a nice, natural glow.
But, your end results are great, very pleasing to the eye. Nice job.
 
That came out looking great, Tom. It's definitely nicer than my first bowl. :thumb:

I'm too late. But would have opted for BLO to clean...

Seems to me that BLO wouldn't remove sanding dust from the pores of the wood, but would just move it around instead. Am I missing something? :huh:
 
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