Buckeye burl and a polyurethane finish

I am trying to figure out the correct polyurethane to use on some buckeye burl scales I have made. From what I have gathered, an oil based satin finish seems like it would be the best option. The rub on opposed to the paint on seems like a better option as well due to the curves of the scales. The buckeye burl is incredible soft and porous, and it sucked up the one coat of shellac I put on it. Might any of you folks be able to give me some advice on what polyurethane is best and tips for applying it? On a side note, the scales are glued at the spacer but are not pinned in.

Cheers

If it were me, I wiould put on 4 coats of shellac, sand it back down to bare wod to fill the grain first. You can repeat that process with 400 or 600 grit paper til the grain is filled, that way your top coat will have a level surface to start and save some sanding later. I would go with true oil or general finishes arm r seal, do three thin coats, level it with 1k paper, 3 more coats cut it back with 1500 or 2k paper and buff.

The "incredibly soft and porous" indicates that perhaps they should have been stabilized. This is probably still possible - If I were you, I'd ask on this site if there is anyone near your home with a vacuum stabilizing set up. You could also try looking for one on one of the knife forums. The other possibility is CA - start with the thin version for your first coat. Good luck. For what it's worth, I'm using a satin poly/tung oil/japan drier mix - about 85% poly, 10 tung oil and 5 japan drier, wiped on with paper towel. Works fine on everything but oily wood.

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Originally Posted by tiddle

If it were me, I wiould put on 4 coats of shellac, sand it back down to bare wod to fill the grain first. You can repeat that process with 400 or 600 grit paper til the grain is filled, that way your top coat will have a level surface to start and save some sanding later. I would go with true oil or general finishes arm r seal, do three thin coats, level it with 1k paper, 3 more coats cut it back with 1500 or 2k paper and buff.

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I have regular sandpaper that goes up to 400 and I also have wet dry from 600-2000. Would it be more beneficial to use the 600 wet dry? Also, should I sand before each coat of shellac and true oil or is the point to let it build before I sand it down?

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Originally Posted by skipnord

The "incredibly soft and porous" indicates that perhaps they should have been stabilized. This is probably still possible - If I were you, I'd ask on this site if there is anyone near your home with a vacuum stabilizing set up. You could also try looking for one on one of the knife forums. The other possibility is CA - start with the thin version for your first coat. Good luck. For what it's worth, I'm using a satin poly/tung oil/japan drier mix - about 85% poly, 10 tung oil and 5 japan drier, wiped on with paper towel. Works fine on everything but oily wood.

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The wood has actually been stabilized, but I am able to put my fingernail in the wood without much difficulty. I thought about doing a CA finish but I have never tried it before and the scales are already glued at the spacer. It would make getting the inside of the scales a bit difficult to reach. I figured the polyurethane finish would be easier to get even coats on the scales.

Wipe on poly should work fine

How about a coat of thin CA as a sealer before the poly? This would soak in more that poly would, and help to harden the fibers. You can get inside the scales with a Q-tip. If the stabilizing process had been done a bit better, you wouldn't have this problem - IMHO. Good luck, and let us know what you decide, and pictures of the results.

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Originally Posted by skipnord

How about a coat of thin CA as a sealer before the poly? This would soak in more that poly would, and help to harden the fibers. You can get inside the scales with a Q-tip. If the stabilizing process had been done a bit better, you wouldn't have this problem - IMHO. Good luck, and let us know what you decide, and pictures of the results.

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The spacer is 3/32 of an inch thick, so it I won't be able to get a qtip between the scales. I have some paint brushes I could use, but that's probably the best I can do. Either that or a folded paper towel I suppose.

Yes you build your coats up about 3 or 4 thin, then sand flat. I usually do 3-4 shellac to seal the grain, then about 6-9 coats total of true oil or arm r seal, sanding progressively up the grit from 600, 1000, 1500 or 2000 between each set of 3 coats, then buff with swirl remover (meguires, turtle wax, ect.). Don't start with 1k until you are putting on your clear coat, only 600 or 800 with the shellac. Like I said if you do one round with the shellac and its not completely sealed, do another round of thin coats and cut it back with the sand paper or 0000 steel wool, that usually works for me even with paduak, which has pretty large pores in it. I apply my finishes with cotton cloth folded into small squares. Just don't "buff the finish on", a few back and forth swipes and leave it alone, otherwise you will leave large track marks that you'll have to take extra time and care to sand out. When leveling the finish, don't use any pressure at all dry sanding or you risk sanding through the finish to bare wood, which means you gotta start over or it will look uneven.

I ended up giving it four coats of shellac and then sanded it down all the way. After wiping some acetone on it, I started brushing on clear gloss polyurethane. The second coat is curing right now and I'll give it a third before I go to bed. So far it looks reaaaaaaly pretty. I'll post pictures of the finished product in the next day or so. Thank you everyone for your tips and advice :D

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Originally Posted by Jonah

I ended up giving it four coats of shellac and then sanded it down all the way. After wiping some acetone on it, I started brushing on clear gloss polyurethane. The second coat is curing right now and I'll give it a third before I go to bed. So far it looks reaaaaaaly pretty. I'll post pictures of the finished product in the next day or so. Thank you everyone for your tips and advice :D

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I realize this thread is really old, but I'm curious as to how these turned out for you. I'm about to make some buckeye scales myself.