What's an EASY and NON-TOXIC finish for LIMBA?

[rockandroller]

I know it's an open pored wood, but I'm not concerned with pore-filling or gloss. Just want the body to be a little more dirt-and-water-resistant!

What's everybody doing these days with their limba? I do have access to a spray room for ventilation, but I'd like the final result to be very non-toxic. Something of the super-easy "rub on a few coats with a rag" variety would suit me best...

 

[croquet hoop]

I know Cagey will not agree with me, but I would contend that shellac fits the bill: you can get anything from semi-matte to gloss, it is non-toxic and is super easy to rub — you can just apply it with a cloth, you don't need to french polish it. Mix your own shellac from dry flakes (very easy to do), the canned stuff is the reason shellac sometimes gets a bad name.

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Finishing/How_to_French_polish_for_a_fast_finish_without_spraying.html

 

[croquet hoop]

And if you'd rather fill those pores, you can do it with a thicker cut of shellac (2-3 lbs). Just lay down coats with a brush (foam or birstles) and sand back if needed.

See an example here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq-eIsWaGgE

 

[dmraco]

A single can of satin minwax poly.  Works like a charm.  It will make the wood pop too.
:icon_thumright:

 

[Cagey]

For simple, Behlen's "Master Gel" is a wipe-on finish that is much more durable than oils, varnishes or shellacs. For an unfilled body/neck that you just want to protect, I can't imagine anything better. It's fast, easy and good - a rare combination. It won't return a professional gloss finish like you'd find on a Warmoth, but if you're not going to level/polish it anyway, who cares?

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

My son uses, get ready, Future Floor Acrylic.

 

[rockandroller]

Thanks all! Looks like there are lots of easy options

 

[dmraco]

satin poly on zebra...

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

A single can of satin minwax poly.  Works like a charm.  It will make the wood pop too.

I was hoping someone would recommend this...since that's what I have planned for my project too!

 

[rockandroller]

Last week I ordered a bag of Shellac flakes from LMII. I decided that french polishing was a worthy endeavor!  arty07:

Still pondering whether to try and stain a sunburst before shellacking...

 

[gjacob]

For limba, I would use a tinted clear instead of a stain.

 

[pulsehead]

For limba, I would use a tinted clear instead of a stain.

What do you mean by a tinted clear?

Thanks

 

[Cagey]

Many finishes are supplied clear, and you color them with either dye or pigment. Dye usually ends up as varying degrees of transparent, while pigment is used to create opaque coatings.

In this case, this is a black Limba body that's been dyed first, then covered with clear...

I could have added dye to the clear rather than to the body and gotten similar results, but it probably would have lacked depth, which you can't really see in the pictures but would have shown in real life. Also, a dyed transparent finish will change saturation during the finish sanding/buffing stage, so you could easily end up with something blotchy. Coloring the body, then putting clear over that allows you to just work with the clear during the final finishing stages, so the appearance is uniform.

 

[pulsehead]

Many finishes are supplied clear, and you color them with either dye or pigment. Dye usually ends up as varying degrees of transparent, while pigment is used to create opaque coatings.

In this case, this is a black Limba body that's been dyed first, then covered with clear...
(pictures)

I could have added dye to the clear rather than to the body and gotten similar results, but it probably would have lacked depth, which you can't really see in the pictures but would have shown in real life. Also, a dyed transparent finish will change saturation during the finish sanding/buffing stage, so you could easily end up with something blotchy. Coloring the body, then putting clear over that allows you to just work with the clear during the final finishing stages, so the appearance is uniform.

Thanks for the info!  I swear at some point all of this finishing stuff will sink in one way or the other.

 

[Cagey]

Thanks for the info!  I swear at some point all of this finishing stuff will sink in one way or the other.

Finishing is not a trivial task. I tell everybody that unless Warmoth will not supply the finish you want, you should always buy into their finishes. They may seem expensive, but they're not. You can't get a finish like they do for anywhere near the same money.

 

[gjacob]

For limba, I would use a tinted clear instead of a stain.

What do you mean by a tinted clear?

Thanks

When creating a sunburst, you can use dyes/stain but it will not look as good as shooting it with different colors of clear (either Nitro or Urethane).  Another problem dyes have is that some lumber will not absorb the dye evenly.  By suspending it in clear and shooting on a sealed body, you will get a even color.

 

[rockandroller]

Thanks for all the feedback!  I have lots of Shellac... so I'm thinking I'd do a porefiller coat and sand back - maybe twice....  then regular french polish, maybe try to get up to a semi-gloss even

I am intrigued about the idea of tinting - but I am a bit paranoid about color leaching through ( I would never try do a dye color under an oil/wax finish, for example!!)

I wonder if this sort of thing would work...

1) some pore-filler shellac
2) coat of light tinted shellac, for middle of sunburst . Polish it all in evenly... let dry
2a) ... or NOT dry, go to next step while still wet ??
3) 2nd coat of darker tinted shellac, applied around edges, trying to work it in like you would do a 'hand-rubbed oil-stain sunburst'???
4) let dry, then continue with usual french polishing, ultra-blonde shellac

What say ye, those who have gone before???  ???

 

[bagman67]

Unless you're really into applying a mindblowing quantity of shellac to fill the pores, I doubt whether you'll fill them adequately with that product.  YOu're better off going with a purpose-made grain filler product, or at least a high-solids vinyl sealer or something like that.  So your schedule would be - wash coat of shellac, then grain filler, probably another pass with the grain filler, and in all likelihood even a third pass to make sure you got  them pores all packed with filler, and then back to the color schedule you imagine below.  Even with multiple applications of grain filler, it will still be a lot faster than trying to build enough shellac to adequately fill the pores of an open-grained species like limba.


Timbermate is water-based and dries really fast as a result, so even if you have to do multiple applications, you can probably get it all done in a few hours to a day (while taking care of other business during the drying periods).

 

[vai777]

I used a combo of Bore Oil, Bee's Wax and Carnauba Wax for my Black Korina build. No grain filler. Obviously it isn't the toughest finish in the world but it does the job.

 

[fdesalvo]

Love that!