Walnut & Steel End Table

[F-117HWK]

I think the clear coat would be the way to go on your fridge... either rattle can or spray gun if ypu have one.
I'm pretty sure the shellac on our metal pieces is improper but I'm also sure that nobody on the shellac think tank was saying " lets find a way to keep paint peeling, rusty stuff exactly as rusty as it is and still be able to clean it. "

My buddy started using it because the polystuffs was to thick and the clearcoat paint doesnt stick to the poorly/nonpreped surface.. for some reason the shellac does and it can be thinned to vary the tickness and in turn the gloss. We use a cheap brush to apply.

I've seen auto shows where they degrease old paint jobs and clear coat it so I'm sure your fridge would work as well.

I'm personally a big fan of try it on a scrap section with the same finish and keep a log of how it worked out. Often the nonconventional application yields unexpected but better results than I originally envisioned.

JP

Great, thanks JP

 

[aggierailroad]

Coming right along... the contrast is nice . I didn't even notice the different tones during the previous post... crazy how different such a subtle difference is after the oil...

Agreed.

Do they make the Danish oil in light and dark variety . For some reason I feel like I saw that but it might have been the restorer .. thought if they did you could do some mad lab style mixing and create what you were envisioning ..

I haven't seen it in two colors for the product I'm using. Will probably try this out on some scrap:

because it dries without the yellow/amber tint that's associated with oil based urethanes. I did a lot of reading this weekend on the topic and it appears that a lot of the bad info out there is from the early stages of product development in the mid 90s.

Im wondering why you are only sanding to 180... Also because it's just the bottom - no need to overwork oneself! See other comments below: I take most of my stuff into the four digit s...just makes it look and feel so smooth... are you going for the rougher look? Im personally a sucker for the mega contrast from rough rusty metal to ultra finished w
ood stuff...

Looking forward to the rest!

JP

As always Mr. Forge, you like to push me to define convention and risk getting flamed in a ball of fire for voicing my methods. Challenge Accepted.

It is "convention" to only sand to 180 or 220 grit when working with wood so that we can "deal" with the grain and porous nature of wood. When finishing wood, the public likes a few things that I'm sure you will agree with - you want to see the grain "pop" and one doesn't want the wood to feel and look like plastic. The behind the scenes magic of the creator is that we want the wood sealed - we want to prevent warping and cupping and the wood doing this: by evenly sealing all faces of the wood to guide the drying/curing process. That leads me to my next point.

Wood has many pores - which is what makes it beautiful. If one sands much more than 180 or 220 grit one runs the risk of closing those pores up and preventing the finish (stain/dye/topcoat, etc.) from penetrating the wood. Not good.

Here's an example of what "over sanding" can do.

Top half 180, bottom half 600 grit.​

Notice how the true stain color didn't get picked up in the bottom half.

There is a lot of gray area here that I'm leaving out like stains containing large particles (pigments) that don't "soak" into the wood vs. dyes that penetrate and blah blah blah. The intent here is that we don't want to clog the pores by sanding it to a slick finish. Instead we rely on the sealant coat to create the smooth (if desired) surface. With that said, you are right, sand away with those 600, 800 or higher between coats of certain finishes for that nice luster that you are after.

HOWEVER I will sand the end grain of wood, if it's exposed, to a higher grit (400 or so) than I will the long grain. Why? The end grain naturally soaks up more stain/dye than long grain as more pores are exposed and open. I counter that (attempt to, anyways) by sanding to a higher grit; and sometimes ill even using a pre-stain conditioner. The conditioner is just a clear poly usually thinned to 50% or higher that plugs some of the pores to combat over saturation. You don't want the ends to be darker than the rest - it's shameful.

This doesn't even scratch the surface regarding topics like water popping the grain and treating/curing blotchiness on woods like maple.

So, no, I'm not going for the rougher look. The finish will be as smooth as glass as I also like the contrast with the pitted metal. Modern meets vintage. I plan on 3 coats of the water clean up poly while sanding with probably 600 grit in-between coats (dry of course!).

It really is extremely beautiful wood. Great project!

Can't deny that. The grain really comes out with the finish on it. It's easy to look like you know what you are doing with this walnut.

I bought a country house a few years back with my now ex-wife. The previous owner had the home in their family from the day it was built (1910). The home had all of its plaster removed for insulation when the owner was growing up. He mentioned that it was impossible to drive a nail in the solid walnut studs. Walnut studs?! Sure enough, every stick of lumber in the home is black walnut. The 6+ acre property is still littered with very large and healthy black walnut trees. I always dreamed of finishing the floor joists when I walked through the basement. That house, along with the wife, is now gone!

Joe

Doh! That is amazing though. Too bad we can't take it apart piece by piece! Worth a fortune today!

 

[aggierailroad]

Nothing much - just gearing up for the weekend. I did go ahead and buy the Poly Acrylic finish in satin from WoodCraft.

While I was there I also got some drawer front screws that will be used to attach the top to the frame. Chosen for the large head and short length .

Pictured are the 1" screws in bright finish. I got the 3/4" in black to avoid "mole-hilling" the top. I really wanted brass screws but couldn't find any at the time with a button head.

Thanks for looking.

 

[aggierailroad]

Done.

Unless anyone's interested I won't put up the details of how I attached the top. To finish the top I finish sanded with dry 180 grit on a foam backing held in a hand block. Vacuum the top off using a rag as a buffer so as not to mar the top with the plastic hose.

Then, take a damp rag and wipe it over your nice smooth walnut. The grain will raise up and make it look like you've ruined your piece. Fear not, this is a technique called "popping" the grain. Once the grain lifts, hit it again with the 180 and repeat the vacuum. Better to control this grain lift than have it lift while you're applying the first coat of sealant. Good way to make you angry at yourself while trying to figure out what happened.

I applied the poly acrylic with a three inch foam brush. This stuff is awesome. I can't believe I waited this long to use it. Keep a wet edge and don't keep brushing on it to smooth it out. It is a self leveling finish and will take care of itself.

I dry sanded with wet/dry paper at 400 grit on the block between coats - usually at the two hour mark, instead of the 8 hour or greater you get with oil based. Again - I love this product.

After the third coat I dry sanded with 1500 grit just to buff out the buildup on the edges. Here's a crappy cell phone pic that I took tonight.

​

I'll try to get some better pics tomorrow.

Oh, and I will end up finishing the steel with the same poly. I made a test piece, which I should photograph and post up, using the amber shellac (which I liked), a wipe on urethane, carnuba wax and unfinished. The wife chose the clear poly.

Thanks for reading.

 

[archirelic]

Looks good!

 

[aggierailroad]

Looks good!

Thanks!

 

[works4me]

Awesome job! I like the natural finishes and weight of the metal. Good overall "balance".

 

[er3456df]

What are you going to do about the metal? I've wanted to build something like this for a long time, but never figured out how to make the sanded parts go back to looking old again.

 

[aggierailroad]

What are you going to do about the metal? I've wanted to build something like this for a long time, but never figured out how to make the sanded parts go back to looking old again.

Believe it or not, I sealed them in "bright". I wanted it to look new and old and handmade all at the same time. If you want it nice and rusty you have a few options:

Leave it outside,
Flash rust it with an acid solution. I'd use vinegar first and if that's too slow, muriatic acid with rock salt sprinkled on. The salt will pit the steel and the acid will rust it once you wash it off. The vapor will kill you - no joke here. Wear the correct PPE and read up on how to do this. Pm me if you get stuck.
If you use new steel - blue it. Stuff is available at sporting good stores.
Some places also sell rusting agents but I've never used them.

This is a black art and I haven't found much good info out there. I had good luck on my coffee table build, that's on this forum, with the bluing formula and mineral oil. Good luck!

 

[drmarkr]

Looks awesome! Snap some better pics if you get some time!

 

[DoghouseForge]

Looks great...
Thanks for all the info throughout this post
!

JP

 

[er3456df]

Believe it or not, I sealed them in "bright". I wanted it to look new and old and handmade all at the same time. If you want it nice and rusty you have a few options:

So- did you sand the whole thing down, then? Your last picture shows the edges prepped for welding, but the rest in ..... whatever you call that black look it comes from the metal yard in.

 

[03protege]

So- did you sand the whole thing down, then? Your last picture shows the edges prepped for welding, but the rest in ..... whatever you call that black look it comes from the metal yard in.

The finished finish is what you see, it is also in style currently.

 

[aggierailroad]

So- did you sand the whole thing down, then? Your last picture shows the edges prepped for welding, but the rest in ..... whatever you call that black look it comes from the metal yard in.

The finished finish is what you see, it is also in style currently.

Spot on. Actually not prepped for welding but ground post welding. I might braze the next one for that nice contrast. Then I could just easily file down any high spots for the people that don't like the ground look.

For clarity, I've got about five hours and 150 bucks into this. Several folks have asked to have one made for money that would be worth your while. Good luck and thanks for reading.

 

[aggierailroad]

Looks great...
Thanks for all the info throughout this post
!

JP

Thanks for your help and suggestions as well! How did your project turn out?

 

[er3456df]

The finished finish is what you see, it is also in style currently.

Really? Mill scale with odd shiny patches at the corners is in style?

No sarcasm. I would have thought sanding the entire thing down, then some sort of torch&oil treatment would be the cool thing these days.