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lame questions from brushmaker wannabe

Hi all,

Just bought some nice mahogany and african walnut logs and gave some drawings to a woodturner. He'll turn some barberstyle and beehive handles, and some simple cylindric ones I can use with DE razor kits. So far so good. I'm about to find a new hobby. Or get disappointed badly pretty soon. :)

So my questions. What's next once the turner did his job? (I'm not just a noob, but English is not even my mother tongue, and just recognized I don't have the necessary vocabulary here way out of my comfort zone.)

I guess I will need some untinted wood pickle (soak?) not to recolor my wood, but to enhance its grain. Or something that can change the color not covering the original nice grain of the wood. What shall I look for?

Then I assume the next thing is some water-resistant lacquer. What kind of lacquer will I need, and how do you create a long-lasting finish?

Can someone point me in the right direction? I will read everything of course, but I don't really know where to start.

Many thanks
szekelya
 
I highly recommend taking some time to browse this section (the brush making and restoration section) of B&B. There is a lot of information here.

Basically, once the handles are turned, along with the hole for the knot, you can stain the wood to add color and help the grain to show up better. This is optional. I recommend dry fitting the knot first so you know the hole is the right size. Then you seal the wood, using something that is water resistant. A lot of people like CA (basically super glue), but that needs to be applied while the handle is spinning on the lathe for a proper coating. You need several coats of whatever sealant you use.,whether polyurethane, lacquer, CA, etc. Once the handle is fully dry and cured, you can use epoxy to set your knot. Again, this is a simple overview. There is a wealth of information in this section. Good luck and enjoy the process.

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Graydog

Biblical Innards
Hi all,

Just bought some nice mahogany and african walnut logs and gave some drawings to a woodturner. He'll turn some barberstyle and beehive handles, and some simple cylindric ones I can use with DE razor kits. So far so good. I'm about to find a new hobby. Or get disappointed badly pretty soon. :)

So my questions. What's next once the turner did his job? (I'm not just a noob, but English is not even my mother tongue, and just recognized I don't have the necessary vocabulary here way out of my comfort zone.)

I guess I will need some untinted wood pickle (soak?) not to recolor my wood, but to enhance its grain. Or something that can change the color not covering the original nice grain of the wood. What shall I look for?

Then I assume the next thing is some water-resistant lacquer. What kind of lacquer will I need, and how do you create a long-lasting finish?

Can someone point me in the right direction? I will read everything of course, but I don't really know where to start.

Many thanks
szekelya

I highly recommend taking some time to browse this section (the brush making and restoration section) of B&B. There is a lot of information here.

Basically, once the handles are turned, along with the hole for the knot, you can stain the wood to add color and help the grain to show up better. This is optional. I recommend dry fitting the knot first so you know the hole is the right size. Then you seal the wood, using something that is water resistant. A lot of people like CA (basically super glue), but that needs to be applied while the handle is spinning on the lathe for a proper coating. You need several coats of whatever sealant you use.,whether polyurethane, lacquer, CA, etc. Once the handle is fully dry and cured, you can use epoxy to set your knot. Again, this is a simple overview. There is a wealth of information in this section. Good luck and enjoy the process.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

I could not have said it any better @Lightcs1776 said it all
 
Easy finish in 3 steps:

Assuming the turner sanded the handles, you can do a good finish in 3 steps. If he didn't you're going to need to sand at least to 400 grit, preferably to 600 grit.

1. Apply Danish Oil, Linseed Oil, Walnut Oil etc to add a nice glow and enhance the grain. Let dry, wipe down, and apply a second coat. Wipe down after it's dry.

2. Apply 1 coat of sanding sealer, let dry, lightly sand with 0000 steel wool/wire wool/whatever it's called where you are and repeat. Mahogany and walnut will both need sanding sealer to get a nice smooth surface due to the open pores of the wood. Sometimes a third or even fourth coat is necessary. I don't use steel wool on wood but it's the safest bet, even 600 grit sand paper makes it easy to abrade the wood too much.

3. Wipe on polyurethane will give you a nice shine, is easy to apply, and it doesn't need to be spinning on a lathe to get it coated properly. Add a second coat after it's dry. Polyurethane is another product I rarely use, but it's quick and easy and will give a good result.

That's it. Be sure to post some pictures when you're done!
 
Easy finish in 3 steps:

Assuming the turner sanded the handles, you can do a good finish in 3 steps. If he didn't you're going to need to sand at least to 400 grit, preferably to 600 grit.

1. Apply Danish Oil, Linseed Oil, Walnut Oil etc to add a nice glow and enhance the grain. Let dry, wipe down, and apply a second coat. Wipe down after it's dry.

2. Apply 1 coat of sanding sealer, let dry, lightly sand with 0000 steel wool/wire wool/whatever it's called where you are and repeat. Mahogany and walnut will both need sanding sealer to get a nice smooth surface due to the open pores of the wood. Sometimes a third or even fourth coat is necessary. I don't use steel wool on wood but it's the safest bet, even 600 grit sand paper makes it easy to abrade the wood too much.

3. Wipe on polyurethane will give you a nice shine, is easy to apply, and it doesn't need to be spinning on a lathe to get it coated properly. Add a second coat after it's dry. Polyurethane is another product I rarely use, but it's quick and easy and will give a good result.

That's it. Be sure to post some pictures when you're done!
Well said.

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Thanks for the responses!
Could you please name a few exact products, so I can match them with something similar available here in Hungary? I mean what you use for staining wood (I will need some red or redish colour, and something dark, dark brown or black, tinting not covering)?
What do you use as sanding sealer? And what would be your choice for polyurethane coating?

Also I read about using sellac (or shellack or something, I know what it is, but each mentioning uses different spelling in English). Does that provide a good enough level of water resistance?

I want to give away some of these brushes and would like to choose the longer lasting option - without of course having to have years of experience in woodworking. I have no problem learning and failing many times before creating something decent, just don't want to give away useless stuff neither.

Many thx again.
 
I would avoid the shellac for a brush. I use shellac for turned bowls that won't be used with water. A wipe on poly would work well. You can make your own by thinning regular poly or you can purchase polyurethane that's already thinned. Just about any stain will work fine. Here in the US I usually get Minwax.

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There's no need to stain the handles if you use an oil. It will bring out the natural beauty of the wood, especially the walnut. If you want to add color, consider using a dye instead of a stain. As @Lightcs1776 said, shellac wouldn't be a good finish, go with wipe on polyurethane. Shellac does make a great sanding sealer though, but keep the two coats thin. It's soft, and if too much is used, it can lead to the hard finish coat chipping rather easily. Shellac is also a great barrier when using incompatible products one over the other, such as water based and oil based, and is suitable as a basecoat for just about any finish you want to use.
 
While all this is all new to me, and an hour ago stain and dye were both synonyms of paint for me, I tend to get the point. (Understanding the jargon is an extra challenge for me, and still have no idea if we really have three different words in my language for stain dye and paint. It could help to buy the right material.)
Shellac idea is dropped then.
As I understand stain is a clay dirt and oil based liquid and creates a covering coating on top of the wood, while dye is water based and impregnates in the outer layer of the wood. I guess I should go with either one of these (probably dye based on your recommendation) OR any types of the recommended oils to highlight the grain of the wood. Then several layers of thinned polyurethane as a water resistant and hopefully shiny coating. :)
And maybe 1-2 layers of shellac between them as sanding sealer and barrier between the different layers?
It gets exciting. Gone watching woodworking videos on youtube.
Don't hold back good advices in the meanwhile. :)
 
While all this is all new to me, and an hour ago stain and dye were both synonyms of paint for me, I tend to get the point. (Understanding the jargon is an extra challenge for me, and still have no idea if we really have three different words in my language for stain dye and paint. It could help to buy the right material.)
Shellac idea is dropped then.
As I understand stain is a clay dirt and oil based liquid and creates a covering coating on top of the wood, while dye is water based and impregnates in the outer layer of the wood. I guess I should go with either one of these (probably dye based on your recommendation) OR any types of the recommended oils to highlight the grain of the wood. Then several layers of thinned polyurethane as a water resistant and hopefully shiny coating. :)
And maybe 1-2 layers of shellac between them as sanding sealer and barrier between the different layers?
It gets exciting. Gone watching woodworking videos on youtube.
Don't hold back good advices in the meanwhile. :)
Good luck, my friend. Woodworking is a great hobby. The oils (linseed or otherwise) are a great option for taking care of the wood. I will enjoy seeing the pictures when it is finished. I love walnut. It is one of my favorite woods.

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Oil, shellac, then poly will give great results. You can thin the shellac with an equal amount of denatured alcohol (perhaps called methylated spirits where you are) to make a sanding sealer that will dry quickly, but it's not necessary.

My first woodworking project almost 37 years ago was walnut with a danish oil finish, and the combination of the two have been a favorite of mine ever since. My second project was made from mahogany, again with a danish oil finish. I may be biased but I think you picked some nice woods to start off with!
 
i wouldn't use any dye on mahogany or walnut wood, they're both beautiful woods..
Linseed/Danish oil + CA glue should be enough.... apply a coat or two polyurethane if you want to... NO shellac!

 
Btw do I understand well, that the same finish goes for the knot-holeto seal it?
What I read about fixing the knot is that after leveling it by glueing in something (from cork to coins) the knot is epoxied by its circular bottom, but not the side. That leaves me baffled, as I imagine that this way water goes in the hole, at least down to the bottom of the knot, if the rest is filled. And chances are that stays there, or at least dries a lot slower than the loft.
 
Turning is just finished. I bought a couple of things for the finish. Of course I'll do the first tests on scrap material, not on these. Can't wait though.
20170703_110346-01.jpg
 
The turnings look great.
I think they would look good natural but if your looking to tint it a color then try an aniline dye. I haven't done much work with wood but I prefer CA over poly to seal but it can be tricky the first time you do it.
 
Last night I made the first attempts on scrap material, even the handle shaped thingy is a scrap, the wood has holes in it at the bottom. Bear with me, I don't know the English jargon, and in fact would be happy if you'd correct me on the go, I guess I will need that later.

The two blocks at the front (from left to right walnut and mahogany) were polished with 800 sandpaper, and got two layers of linseed oil, sanding also between the layers. I did it last night, and by morning their surfaces were pretty smooth. That's the same I did with the scrap handle. In fact I'm pretty happy with the result so far, mahogany looks so nice.

The two blocks at the back got one layer of hmmm... something the paint-shop attendant talked me into. I guess that's called spot-glaze, it's wax based and slightly colored, this was the least coloured version, primarily to be used with pinewood. The idea is to give two layers with a 8 hour drying between these, and then continue with three layers of water based covering lacquer (same maker, same product line as the glaze). I guess these coatings are offered for outdoor furniture or wood cabins or something.
By the morning the surface of these blocks were rough as I hadn't sanded them, so probably this wax-glaze must have pulled the fibers out of the wood a lot more than linseed. I'll play it through with this coating as well on these blocks, although I doubt it will make it to the real handles.

After taking this picture I sanded the turned handles, which basically ate-up the single sheet of 800 sandpaper I bought. However I just put them in a box waiting to get some experience with coating the scrapings.

I yet have to find the hungarian equivalent of wipe-on poly, but I try to find that today, and hope to post new pics tomorrow.

20170703_213621.jpg
 
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