Maple finishing suggestions

J

JMJones

Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
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I have primarily used stabilized wood for handles so have not needed a finish coat. I have an unstabalized maple and blackwood handle sanded up to 600 grit and am looking for suggestions on a finish coat...
 
Pretty much any top coating other than lacquer is going to yellow the maple color. If it is curly or bird's eye and you want the figure to pop, I always leaned towards boiled linseed oil followed by poly or Tru-oil.

BTW, you may need to de-oil the blackwood with solvent for any top coat to stick anyway, depending on how oily it is.
 
I second kuraki's method - Fiebing's water based dye and a tru-oil finish. You can experiment with several of the brown shades, but light brown works well for me
 
I took me like 4 or 5 years to remember what color of Fiebings I had used to get a color like Kuraki's example on a sample piece of maple early on and it turned out to be British tan. I typically went with light brown on most pieces, but now I want a lighter, more reddish orange color for wa handles because it looks more "Japanese" to my eye. I now have both British tan and the "regular" saddle tan for a little variety. One is darker than the other and I can't remember which off the top of my head. Remember also that repeated application of almost any of the colors will give you a darker finish.
 
I use tru-oil for unstabilized maple. One tip, get the small bottle and just poke a small hole in the foil under the cap. It will last longer and be easier to dispense.
 
I have tan, russet, brown, and light brown. They all leave a different look, and different pieces of maple don't look the same, so you may have to experiment. They can be mixed if needed. I often thin them down and make multiple applications.

Initially, it will look darker than you want, and sometimes have poor stripe contrast. Once rubbed in with a rag, wipe off all excess quickly. Then work it with steel wool a bit, followed by hand sanding with 400 grit to get the proper contrast. It is a very good idea to save some scraps and pieces of the same wood to test on before starting the handle.

TIP:
It is best to build up the dark stripe by applying the stain, rubbing in, then sanding off after it has dried a bit. Repeat as needed, and change the dye color to get the final look. It will look much less crisp ( even dull looking) until it dries fully, and gets the finish on it. When the finish is worked into the wood, it will deepen the color and make the 3-D look that we all love.
 
I went with tru oil and was pleased with how it came out. I have not used that stuff in years.
 
John, this is the color that I got out of red alkanet root oil with no Fiebings. The stuff is made for walnut gunstocks and has a bit of color to it. Even a little bit of pigment in your oil will cause the "darker" parts of the grain to "pop." With walnut, that oil tends to get rid of any "grayish" tinge and makes the figured stand out. I have never used TruOil, but I suspect it does something similar.
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