husker Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 I am sure this has been covered before, but I sick it up and ask anyways. The best way to finish Baltic Birch scroll work. I was told use a he'll stain and it works great, until it comes to all the nooks and crannies where you can't wipe off the stain. On the flip side oil based turns out splotchy "so I hear". Any advise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husker Posted February 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Yeah, I should check my spelling first. That's "I will suck it up and ask" and "gel stain" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Never tryed it but will so any info here will be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 I would put on a pre stain conditioner. Now getting to the rooks and grannies, simple solution is minimize them as much as possible. Sand and use the dust to fill in. Someone else will chime in with a real or is that reel or rill suggestion. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husker Posted February 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Do you have a brand name you use for a pre stain conditioner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldhudson Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 I use and really like gel stains and I use regular oil base stains, the stuff that has no body (like Minwax). HOWEVER I don't have experience using either for fretwork. I would think the gel stains would not work well with fret work because they are so thick and conventional stains should work well because they flow well. Generally I 'control' the color by wiping the stain off with a clean rag after some amount of time. So if I want a little color I wipe on a stain and wipe it off immediatly. If I want the color deeper I'll leave it on for few minutes before wiping it off. That would be tough to do with fretwork. I always seal wood with shellac before staining. (3 oz. of unwaxed shellac flakes to 12 oz. of denatured alchohol). It's very thin. Goes on easy. Dries in a couple hours. I think for BB ply I'd use more than one coat because of the edges. I always do a very light sanding between coats and before any stain or topcoat. I have use another product called McClosky's Sanding Sealer. It was fine. My general practice with finishing is to make test pieces. I'm working on a vanity and have tried about 8 different stains/topcoat finishing combinations to get the color/finish I was happy with. It takes lots of time but after selecting or creating a plan, purchasing wood, milling, carefully cutting and/or joining - I'm not about to hurry the finishing. Here's a test piece. Lucky2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multifasited Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Well ,Here's where I get into trouble ,IF ,I say IF .I think ,I need to stain a project ,involving fret work ,I will stain the board first ,and put a seal coat ,before I do any cutting ,Yes it will be lighter ,but even and a lot smoother ,and to me at least adds a high lite to ANY back drop ,or backer,w/o any blotching and bleed over ,that I think looks worse and is not always semi-controlable .The more intricate the worst effect with bleeding while trying to get coverage in all the nooks and cranies ,as one of our members puts it ,it's my style ,but sure saves alot of unforseen ill-effects ! Lesser of two evils IMHO! Saves a lot of time and Heart break. All the above work well when staining ,type and prep depend on the piece. Good luck ,and have fun which ever way you decide to go! Edited February 25, 2014 by Multifasited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Johnson Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Good morning David I've had the same issue after completing a portrait especially one with a lot of fret work as to how do you apply a finish. Here's what I've done that satisfies my taste: Prior to adhering the pattern to the wood I sand the surface lightly using carbon 1600 grit paper, wipe clean with distilled water. Then I use a cabinet makers wax applied with a clean cloth rubbing in with the 1600 grit paper and finally polishing with a clean cloth. I'll apply this process to each stacked item I'm cutting except the top one that the pattern is adhered to. I then place a plain sheet of white paper between each prior to taping which seems to help to eleviate any heat from the blade affecting the finish along the cut edges. After the portrait is completed I vacum leaving me with a natural finished item. I'm not sure how ths process will work using other types of finishes applied, but this is what works for me being I like a natural finish, so I'm not sure if I've been of any help or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husker Posted February 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Hmmm, well this all sounds like Good advice. But sounds like alot of work for this small timer. Sounds like it will be a natural finish for all my Baltic Birch work. Thanks gentlemen for your time and advise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Almost all my BB ply is behind glass, so I don't use a finish. On the one's that I do finish, after sanding up to 300 grit, I use spray lacquer. It dries reasonably fast so dust doesn't have time to build up. The downside is the odor. I only use lacquer in the garage or outdoors. If I have to stain a project, I use a wood conditioner first then stain before I cut. I've never tried to get stain into the frets. I think it gives the piece a little more depth if the inner plies are a little lighter than the top and backer. Lucky2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husker Posted February 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 That sounds good. Thanks Dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryEA Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 Hmmm, David... here is what the pro's do.. Click here: How to Finish like a pro | DoItYourself.com Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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