Staining Birch Veneer Plywood - ATM Project - Help!

John Steinberg:
I'm *consulting on the construction of a truss tube Dob and the rocker
box is nearing completion. Ideally, it will be stained with a
water-based but water-resistant clear stain that lets the beauty of the
wood show through with zero or minimal color/tint added.

I'm off to Lowes and/or Home Depot later today and soliciting brand
names and/or the type of product most suitable for this type of job.

The shop in question is poorly ventilated so if there's something on
the market that does the above without noxious fumes, still better.

If nothing available meets the listed criteria, what would be the best
product to achieve a durable, clear finish on the rocker box?

Thanks for any authoritative replies.

Minwax Polycrylic is a water-based polyurethane that will keep fumes to
a minimum and provide a handsome finish. I recommend the satin. It will
not yellow. It is easy to apply.

Someone mentioned spar varnish as the best outdoor finish. That's true,
but it should be mentioned that it's the best of a poor lot; there is
no such thing as a clear finish that will stand up to UV. Only paints
will do that. I'm assuming that the truss-tube and rocker box will not
be exposed to the sun day-in and day-out. If that's so, the Minwax that
I mentioned will be quite suitable.

Finishing tip: don't over-sand the wood. There is the risk of sanding
through the thin outer ply. A light hand-sanding with 120 or 150 grit
will be adequate. Save the sanding for the finish; for the first two or
three coats follow the instructions on the can; then wet sand with 600
grit, followed by finer grits, down as far as necessary for the desired
smoothness. Very fine grits are available at better auto supply stores
under the 3M brand. A final burnishing with burlap will leave a really
great finish. Finishing requires time and patience; it will not be
hurried.

Davoud

I hope this reaches you in time; I've been away in North Carolina,
where life is so primitive and the people so out of touch with the
world that many of them actually have "Bush" signs in their front yards
-- though a surprising number have been awake the past four years and
have Kerry signs.

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

Davoud wrote in message ...
[...]
I hope this reaches you in time; I've been away in North Carolina,
where life is so primitive and the people so out of touch with the
world that many of them actually have "Bush" signs in their front yards
-- though a surprising number have been awake the past four years and
have Kerry signs.

Probably from drinking too much shine or squeeze.

John Steinberg wrote:

I've now resolved to sacrifice some board feet of lumber and
try out a number of the suggested products and processes.

Great idea! Please post the results here.

I am predicting that the boiled linseed oil method will
give superior results compared to all other methods.

If I were doing this, I would subject my test samples to my
freezer, the trunk of a car left out in the sun, heavy dew,
and enough impact to see if the finish dents, chups, or
shatters.

John Steinberg wrote:



But what about the 5th race at Santa Anita? I need a winner, bad! g

You'll need to buy a code book and some Tootsie Frootsie ice cream, boss.


Mrs. Teasdale

John Steinberg wrote:

Guy Macon wrote:

I am predicting that the boiled linseed oil method will
give superior results compared to all other methods.

My only concern, if memory
serves (and the article is PDF'd for more careful review later), is
that the author did not mention birch as one of the woods to use this
method on. Is it conspicuous in its absence, or am I being a nervous
nelly?

I have used it on solid birch and it worked fine.

Here are some more references:

From the pages of Fine Woodworking Magazine: Selecting a Finish
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/w00060.asp

Refinishing techniques for military rifle stocks:
http://www.jouster.com/Bulletin/refinishing.htm

The rationale for linseed oil vs. tung oil
http://www.jouster.com/Bulletin/TUNG.htm

John Steinberg wrote:
Not an issue locally. I've been informed by reliable sources that Tung
oil (the good stuff, not the faux junk) is only available in Santa
Monica. And squeezing it out is not for the faint of heart.

Easy. Else I'll be compelled to bomb the newsgroup with images of me
popping a zit. (Well, you had to be there. A zitgist, as it were.)

Brian Tung
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.txt

John Steinberg wrote:

Guy Macon wrote:

I have used it on solid birch and it worked fine.

It didn't yellow or tint the birch?

Hmmm. I used a stain first. Stains aren't such a hot idea
for plywood...

I think that you should try it on a piece of scap plywood
and decide for yourself whether you like the color.

"Brian Tung" wrote

Easy. Else I'll be compelled to bomb the newsgroup with images of me
popping a zit. (Well, you had to be there. A zitgist, as it were.)

You do and I'll pop you one in your Bauhaus.

John Steinberg wrote:

Does anyone know the correct HTML tag for dry heaving?

Sure! Here it is:

meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word"

I hope this helps.

--
Guy Macon http://www.guymacon.com

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 21:27:50 GMT, John Steinberg
wrote:

Brian Tung wrote:

Easy. Else I'll be compelled to bomb the newsgroup with images of me
popping a zit. (Well, you had to be there. A zitgist, as it were.)

Does anyone know the correct HTML tag for dry heaving?


marquee usually does it for me ;-)

Nick

--
Nick Theodorakis

contact form:
http://theodorakis.net/contact.html