The simple "dirty mahogany finish"

Here is one of my favorite surfaces for any wood, ring-porous or diffuse porous. I call it "dirty mahogany" or "creepy janitor."

First a warning: I think this end looks like crap on forests, which have a closed pore structure, such as Maple or cherry, and softwoods. It looks good on everything with open pores: mahogany, oak, walnut, ash, etc.

Step 1: Apply a film ready put on. This can be anything that seals the wood. Paint. Shellac. Paint. Polyurethane. I usually use Garnet shellac because it dries quickly, it is not as toxic as other surfaces and wood is a beautiful color. My second choice: any kind of paint.

Apply a few coats and allow to dry.

Step 2: Call the creepy janitor. Years ago introduced me to David Thiel "black bison wax" by Liberon. He had a can of "tudor oak" things we on & crafts would use pieces. It does a nice job the entire piece fills the pores with black wax and muscle building.

But the smell. Sweet Mary and Joseph. We had this really weird janitor on the South side high school. It smells like that dude.

Wipe it on with an abrasive pad. Let it Flash (it takes about 5 minutes or so). Then with a rough cloth - buff, I use the cheap Terry cloth towels from the hardware store.

The smell keeps for about a week. And finish that looks like your piece you went then filled with a nice void some years later - has without seeing how you've pulled your project in the dirt.

Oh yeah, and why Liberon? I do not know it. There are other manufacturers of black wax, and I'm sure that it works just as well. But a glass of Liberon took me a decade. So, I have not many opportunities to compare.

Maybe the competing wax as the odd lunch smells Lady at Chaffin junior high.

-Christopher Black

Learn to stop. The most woodworkers are mouth breathers, when it comes to end. I was also, until I met with Bob Flexner. He has three books on completion, but my personal favorite is "Finishing 101." It helps you to take the important first steps to good finisher. Very much recommended. And not too expensive (less than $13). Check it out at ShopWoodworking.com.

Chris is an editor at the popular woodworking magazine and the publishers on the lost art press. He is a hand tool (although he also used power tools).

View the original article here