Choice of finishing - burl veneer

[rendoman]

HI all!
I'm undecided about the finishing of my new conical horn with burl veneer.
Tru-oil could be a nice choice, fast, easy to apply and nice. I would like to not try again shellac, too slow and difficult to have a perfect surface. I never tried tung oil, I remember the linseed boiled was good but very long. Bees wax a nice and natural finishing, but not polished as I remember.

Any advice?

[Crusty]

It's hard to beat True-Oil. Many thin easy coats, followed by wet sanding using linseed oil and a thinned finish coat can make for a stunning finish that's easy to do. I've built several musical instruments using it and it's never let me down. If you're going to color the wood don't use stain because it hides the beautiful wood grain and instead use Angelus Leather Dyes (but practice first on scrap).

[rendoman]

Thank you for the advice!
I was thinking about the dark color of the finishing. When I built the last speakers I used dark walnut burl, I tried to apply Truoil on some scraps, the burl has become very dark. A friend told me to use Yellow stain to brighten up the pattern, I decided to use clear shellac (I think modified with Yellow). This time I have some very nice red and very clear parts, I would like to keep the color close to the original as much as possible. Do you think I should use the Yel color on only dark surfaces? About Leather dyes, do you think they are better? I have a dark one, it seems the mix is very uniform

[Evergreen]

Thank you for the advice!
I was thinking about the dark color of the finishing. When I built the last speakers I used dark walnut burl, I tried to apply Truoil on some scraps, the burl has become very dark. A friend told me to use Yellow stain to brighten up the pattern, I decided to use clear shellac (I think modified with Yellow). This time I have some very nice red and very clear parts, I would like to keep the color close to the original as much as possible. Do you think I should use the Yel color on only dark surfaces? About Leather dyes, do you think they are better? I have a dark one, it seems the mix is very uniform

If you want to maintain the original color of the veneer or close to it, a good choice for the finish would be Pure Tung Oil from places like Woodcraft or Rockler. You want the "pure" stuff, not what many folks sell as Tung Oil. The pure stuff will make the grain pop and you'll have very little color change. Boiled Linseed Oil also could be used, but it will give you a slightly darker finish. For a top coat, Zinsser Bulls Eye Seal Coat would be a good choice for sealing the veneer. It is a de-waxed blond Shellac that will give a nice shine and minimal color change.

[rendoman]

Thank you!
I will search for pure Tung oil, and not the mixed products available in normal shops here.

[Crusty]

Tru-Oil and the other catalyzed resin finishes do color the wood darker. If I wanted to clear finish I would try GluBoost Fill-n-Finish Pro because it produces a very hard and water clear finish, but it does require final buffing to bring it to a gloss. I've never used it myself but I've seen a couple of guitars finished with it and it's very nice plus it's a hard and protective finish.

Just like parts aren't parts, dyes aren't dyes so your results may vary depending on the dye you use. The standard is TransTint dyes but they're very expensive and some luthiers have found that Angelus Leather dyes produce equivalent results much cheaper. Be forewarned though that dyeing wood isn't a slop it on and go process - there's much to be learned along the way to produce a desired effect, but when done well they can produce beautiful finishes including stunning 3D visual effects in wood grain (called chatoyance).

For comparison, if dye particles were the size of ping pong balls then stain particles would be the size of pickup trucks and that's why stains obscure the wood grain.

If you don't want to be that experimental then nitrocellulose lacquer purchased from a luthier supply (Luthiers Mercantile for instance) would also produce a nice water clear finish. For a project that size I would just purchase several rattle cans. Always spray entire surfaces with it - it's impossible to make spot applications of it that don't show.

Always let your layers fully cure before any subsequent working with whatever finish you're using. Some finishes can take weeks before they're ready.

[Toolmaker51]

"Chatoyance"
I strive learning something new everyday. What relate to craftsmanship and engineering [in the English sense] likely the favorites.
Interestingly, Apple, MS and the web in general don't practice what should be their greatest asset. I'd estimate 90% or more terms I explore register squiggly red underlines. So then; how effective can the marketing programs tracking us be really all that effective? Instead, I receive ads; millenial-centered trash, gaming programs, women's underwear, and unlimited pointless pursuits - never counterbore sets, bearings, tool steels, dog food, proper fitting socks . . .

[Jon]

Chatoyance; good one. Two short vids demonstrating it.

More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatoyancy

[rendoman]

Thanks for info, it's even curious the name "chatoyance", I never heard about, I will use soon!

I'm a bit scared about using a lacquer with air pistol, the internal part of the horn is hard to approach and the risk of drops is high, above all for me.

[Crusty]

Chatoyance is flat out beautiful in highly figured maple.

That will be a challenge to spray and for something that small I'd likely use a rattle can rather than a sprayer (but maybe an airbrush). You can always hang it up and spray upwards to minimize drops splattering on it and always stop and start your spray off the target because that's when most splats happen. I might think long and hard about a careful brush job though it won't look the same as sprayed but it can look very nice anyway.

Fred I think highly of Dickies All-Purpose Work Stain Resistor socks.