Clear finish for Maple. No yellow effect wanted. Store bought or DIU mix?

[rons]

Maple wood looks pretty when it is freshly cut. Everything I use yellows the wood to some effect.

I could spin the piece and melt in some Carnauba wax or some Parrafin wax. Looks good at first but then it dulls with handling.

I like the durability and shine from a tung oil finish. I have some Minwax Marine coat finish too that isn't bad.
Used Sam Maloof's formulas too. Used shellac for sealing, You name it. Everything causes yellowing.

I like the Sam Maloof mix better than anything I can buy from the stores. The application period is a lot longer but worth it.
The problem with it is that it's part Tung Oil and that contributes to yellowing.

Is there a formula around for a clear hard finish.

 

[car2]

If no color-deepening is desired, the best bet is just a spray-on lacquer, a blonde shellac (not durable) next would be a polyurethane--finishes that primary sit "on top" but do not penetrate like oils. Any sort of penetrating finish, and the oil finishes tend to darken more over time (again, something that many people prefer).

I like oil finishes (usually use minwax "antique oil" or equivalent, with a final paste-wax finish), however oil finishes are not the best for tops that may see liquids and alcohol, they will spot easily, and stain with other liquids or if you let a damp can sit on them.

Personally, I like the depth and iridescence of maple and cherry; one way to enhance that is to DYE (not stain) them with a yellow dye, before finishing; it really makes the grain and depth "pop", without really changing the color much.

As Thermite alluded to, sun and just the oxidation over time deepens the "yellow" color of most lighter woods like maple and ash, they bcomee almost golden-brown over extended time, especially with oil finishes.

 

[Mark P.]

Whitewashing is always an option.

 

[gustafson]

Water based poly does not turn yellow like oil based

try super blonde shellac

there is something about shellac that really makes the grain pop

 

[rons]

The rule on aging wood is:

Light colored woods like maple turn darker.
Dark colored woods like walnut lighten with age.
Seen this with items I have built.

 

[rons]

Has anybody tried mix up some two-part automotive clear and rubbing that into a turning piece?

 

[gustafson]

I have done wood with auto clear and it also darkens the wood.Water based poly is the only thing I have seen that is 'water clear'

 

[Scruffy887]

Has water based poly improved in the past 15 years? Last time I used it the result was OK if you were 15 feet away. Any closer and you could see that it stayed on the surface just as it was applied, no leveling at all. On oak it was just massive grain raising.

 

[dcsipo]

Maple wood looks pretty when it is freshly cut. Everything I use yellows the wood to some effect.

I could spin the piece and melt in some Carnauba wax or some Parrafin wax. Looks good at first but then it dulls with handling.

I like the durability and shine from a tung oil finish. I have some Minwax Marine coat finish too that isn't bad.
Used Sam Maloof's formulas too. Used shellac for sealing, You name it. Everything causes yellowing.

I like the Sam Maloof mix better than anything I can buy from the stores. The application period is a lot longer but worth it.
The problem with it is that it's part Tung Oil and that contributes to yellowing.

Is there a formula around for a clear hard finish.

If it is a turning try using Cyano Acrylate

Applying a CA Glue Finish on a Pen : 3 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables

 

[henrya]

You can buy quality 2K clear coat in spray cans. Its fairly expensive but a good way for your one item (and maybe a couple more). It does not darken the wood very much (not any more than water) and does not yellow.

Another thing to look at are poly floor finishes from manufacturers like Bona. They make 2 part polys that are completely transparent and with different sheens or lack thereof. I have some on white oak floors and it looks like there is no finish on the wood.

What you are doing with maple is difficult because of the extremely fine grain and hardness of the wood. Finishes kind of pool up on top. Treating the piece as if it was metal and being painted is the way to think about finishing for the effect you want.

 

[72bwhite]

Enduro line from general,
But you need to spray it
First you use the sanding sealer then top coat.
Had to add dye to it to get an amber color like oil based

 

[stephen thomas]

When i was making production storage boxes, General Finishes floor finish is what i used. This part (floor finshes) of the Enduro line is self priming, so did not need to stock a separate primer.
Like 72bwhite, everything had either a color tint (teal/aqua + a few black) or a "natural" finish, which required a lot of dye in the mix to get a light caramel color so all the boxes and shelves looked the same and the parts were interchangeable.

I like the product. But my experience is that it will raise the grain on birch plywood, if not now, then later. So it does require a water wipe, dry, and light de-nib sanding as a precaution. Also, let the first coats dry pretty well before scuff sanding and applying finish coats. (You can do 3 coats easily in a day, but i'm not sure that is ideal for later grain stability on plywood)

I did coat a rolling/marble top island made for our kitchen in natural. The finish is bullet proof and smooth as a baby's butt on the solid maple. The ply panels have raised grain. The color does not seem to have yellowed any more than the maple will by itself without any finish. You have to take that into account no matter what finish. Maple yellows. The most colorless modern (tough) finishes i've used over the years were either waterbase polyurethane that was actually polyurethane rather than mostly other resin filler; or waterbase acrylic.

smt

 

[jaguar36]

Target Coatings EM9300 Polycarb Urethane is a waterbased finish that won't yellow the wood at all. I've had good luck with it leveling well and holding up to the weather.

As has been noted though, there isn't much you can do about the wood itself darkening due to light exposure.

 

[rons]

Thank you. The yellow/darkening effect on a wood like oak which has some grain pattern might look good.

 

[JCaff]

General Finish’s High Performance line will add no ambering effects.

 

[wesg]

General 'Endurovar', I believe, has an amber tint to it. Looks great on Cherry. Some older Varathane I had was clear, and not what I wanted.

As for oak ... if you're building pallets, great choice ... ;-)

 

[J_R_Thiele]

You might look at West Systems 207 Special Clear Hardener. It is a hardener added to their 105 epoxy to produce a clear waterproof finish. Many epoxy's need to have a chemical removed from their surface before being recoated. This is not true with 207, allowing additional coats before the previous coat is fully cured.

It has some UV inhibitors, but with its being commonly used in boats receiving much sun exposure it is often coated with marine varnish, so there is a lot of information about how to go about this.

 

[rons]

I forgot that I have a quart can of this. It is clear but it is easy to lay it on too thick.

DEFT Interior Clear Brushing Lacquer - Professional Quality Paint Products - PPG

 

[gustafson]

This thread made me think of refinishing some old Gerstners. Wife bought me a brand new one, god almost 20 years ago. I was convinced that they were not using as nice a wood as they used to.

It has never been near a window ever. I have been looking at it recently and realized that the grain has come out an amazing amount over time.

One must be patient with all good things


I always thought I wanted a walnut, but playing with the old ones made me respect the 1/4 sawn oak

 

[henrya]

I forgot that I have a quart can of this. It is clear but it is easy to lay it on too thick.

DEFT Interior Clear Brushing Lacquer - Professional Quality Paint Products - PPG

Good stuff and easy to use. Not super hard but good for most uses.