Finishing Birch

[eth2]

I am about to finish a pair of Heresy's made of birch. Looking at previous posts on the internet it appears tat some people suggest using shellac before stain. I was planning on sanding, using precoat and them staining with MinWax. I am not a big fan of shellac.

Any suggestions?

[JJkizak]

_{I am not fond of shellac either.
JJK}

Edited April 29, 2014 by JJKIZAK

[Deang]

Shellac is awesome, but I sure wouldn't be putting it down before stain.

What you plan on doing is just fine, follow through -- they'll look nice.

[PrestonTom]

Shellac is awesome, but I sure wouldn't be putting it down before stain.

What you plan on doing is just fine, follow through -- they'll look nice.

Dean, some folks use shellac as a wood conditioner or sealer. It would be lightly sanded and then stain or pigmented oil would be applied. Although the color would not be as dark, it would help avoid some of the uneveness (blotchiness) when the color is absorbed. For rookies like me (especially with pine or oak) it is a good idea, although it makes it more difficult to predict how dark the finish will end up looking.

[ryanm84]

A non-shellac sanding sealer is also available. It should help with blotchiness.

[Budman]

leave em raw, their worth more money if you want to sell them down the road plus they look much better Nakid

they turn a beautiful yellow after 20 plus years

Edited April 29, 2014 by Budman

[muel]

That birch makes good substrate for some nice walnut or cherry veneer. Or how 'bout waterfall bubinga? When you say "bubinga" you should sound like Homer Simpson when he's talking about "BAAAACON".

Curly Maple or Sapele are also beautiful!

[eth2]

A non-shellac sanding sealer is also available. It should help with blotchiness.

I used a MinWax pre-stain then MinWax Walnut oil based stain. It looks OK, but the color is far from perfectly even.

Edited April 29, 2014 by eth2

[eth2]

leave em raw, their worth more money if you want to sell them down the road plus they look much better Nakid

they turn a beautiful yellow after 20 plus years

I am giving them to my teenage son who is away at college. Without stain and poly they will come back looking like crap.

Next step - rebuild the crossovers

[Mike 585]

For that application (college) you might want to consider coating them with McCloskey's Gym Sealer, with the intent of stripping and refinshing them when the college years are over. The stuff is damn near bulletproof and will save you dealing with those inevitable water rings down the road.

You might also want to consider some metal woofer grills.

[eth2]

For that application (college) you might want to consider coating them with McCloskey's Gym Sealer, with the intent of stripping and refinshing them when the college years are over. The stuff is damn near bulletproof and will save you dealing with those inevitable water rings down the road.

You might also want to consider some metal woofer grills.

I am pretty sure that Gym Seal is no longer produced due to concerns about VOC's

[tk49]

I was with muel till you got to the part where they are going to college. Skip the stain, protect them with the poly, then if they ever come home you can repair the damage and re-skin them with muels buuuuubinga.

Actually the gym seal will do a better job, used it on my bench tops in jr hi shop , wears like iron.

t

Edited April 29, 2014 by tk49

[Deang]

Good info here.

I say leave them as they are and send with a threat of death if they come back damaged.

Edited April 30, 2014 by DeanG