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How do you decide what finish (gloss/semi-gloss) goes on wood?


Coytee

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Just wondering when you are doing something out of wood (not really speaker related though I guess it could be)

 

None the less, you are making ???  salt shakers, box, furniture, toys....anything out of wood.

 

Forget painting it....  when you urethane it, how do you decide what gloss factor to use?

 

Do certain woods lend themselves to a specific sheen or is it all "personal"?  (personal is bad choice for me because I'm not very artistic nor creative...  it's better for me if I can follow instructions such as "dark woods always work better with higher gloss and lighter woods a semi-gloss..)

 

 

 

 

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Yeah, but if you were as (un)creative as I am....  it would be nice to know if there are some generalities....

 

Just got finished putting a semi-gloss on some Birdseye Maple....  wondering now if a gloss would have looked better.

 

 

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In modern furniture, finish of any sort is either non existant or very thin. You will not find a high gloss finish in furniture made in 20+ years. The more matte a finish is, the more it will obscure the wood details underneath. The more glossy a finish the more it will reflect light and that can also make it hard to see the wood underneath it depending on the light and angle.

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There are some woods that don't like any urethane (I use it all the time)  like manzanita, osage orange, purple heart, heavy southern pine, and hardwoods, etc. You can use spray shellac as the filler then sand it off and polish with wax. I did do some high gloss on purple heart but it was a hassle, wet sand with 600 and end up at 1200. Older people tend to view very high gloss wood as plastic, and it does feel like plastic.

JJK

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hmmm...  I urethaned a box I made for my wife's niece.  Box was purple heart.  Seemed to take it ok....  Will there be some longer term ramifications?

 

Never mind that the niece decided she wanted to put unicorn stickers all over it after I gave it to her

 

But....this is our favorite niece who puts up with spinal bifida and though she's probably pushing 30 physical years....  is mentally much younger.  So, if she wants to augment something with unicorn stickers, I'd be happy to drive her in the (handicapped) van to the store to buy more stickers!!

 

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Coytee said:

hmmm...  I urethaned a box I made for my wife's niece.  Box was purple heart.  Seemed to take it ok....  Will there be some longer term ramifications?

 

Never mind that the niece decided she wanted to put unicorn stickers all over it after I gave it to her

 

But....this is our favorite niece who puts up with spinal bifida and though she's probably pushing 30 physical years....  is mentally much younger.  So, if she wants to augment something with unicorn stickers, I'd be happy to drive her in the (handicapped) van to the store to buy more stickers!!

 

 

 

 

3.jpg

 

It will be OK. The urethane just doesn't stick as hard as on other woods. It's just not as resistant to screwdriver scrapes, hammer hits, fingernail scratches. You will be OK with it.

My website has a picture in the vase portfolio of a mirror finish on purple heart. http://www.jjkizart.com/

 

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On 12/24/2018 at 8:22 AM, JJkizak said:

It will be OK. The urethane just doesn't stick as hard as on other woods. It's just not as resistant to screwdriver scrapes, hammer hits, fingernail scratches.

James do you have any experience with Mulberry, Black Locust, Persimmon or Osage Orange? PM me if you do please.

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On 12/23/2018 at 6:08 PM, JJkizak said:

There are some woods that don't like any urethane (I use it all the time)  like manzanita, osage orange, purple heart, heavy southern pine, and hardwoods, etc. You can use spray shellac as the filler then sand it off and polish with wax. I did do some high gloss on purple heart but it was a hassle, wet sand with 600 and end up at 1200. Older people tend to view very high gloss wood as plastic, and it does feel like plastic.

JJK

I have been kicking around the idea of revarnishing my speakers. They are rosewood veneer and matte. My AV unit and pretty much all my furniture is semigloss. Will a veneer take a coat or two with half decent results? Would sanding be required prior to application?

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17 hours ago, YK Thom said:

I have been kicking around the idea of revarnishing my speakers. They are rosewood veneer and matte. My AV unit and pretty much all my furniture is semigloss. Will a veneer take a coat or two with half decent results? Would sanding be required prior to application?

 

If possible find a small place on your speakers to do some experimenting. I don't anticipate any problems with your speakers but if there is varnish I would sand first.

JJK

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