Favorite finish: Sapelle?

Favorite finish: Sapelle? · 01-24-2009, 09:28 PM

I'm looking for input regarding favorite finishes for sapelle. I want to pop the grain a little, and accent the reds in the wood.

Anyone have a preference or advice? This is my first sapelle project. This sapelle will be the rails and stiles for panels veneered in curly bubinga.

FredP · 01-24-2009, 10:01 PM

danish oil then wipe on poly or formbye tung oil if its a small area. the oil realy pops the grain.

DaveO · 01-24-2009, 10:02 PM

Well my favorite finish for just about all woods is a home brewed Danish Oil type finish. About equal parts MS, BLO, and gloss Polyurethane. The oil will give an amber cast to the wood, the thinned poly will add protection without building a plastic type coating, and the MS helps it to be wiped on. I also really like Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish for its repair-ability and color, but it's costly and doesn't have a good shelf life when opened so I reserve it for larger projects. I will probably use it on the cherry stereo cabinet I am working on right now. I have also just recently become a big fan of water based lacquer (poly-acrylic) it's great to spray and doesn't add any color if that is what you are looking for.
I have not worked with Sapelle, but I have used my home brewed Danish oil on Mahogany, which is similar, with great results.

Dave

pcooper · 01-25-2009, 09:05 AM

I worked with some of that wood recently for the first time, and just for fun picked danish oil to finish with, and highly recommend it. The grain looked like it was standing proud of the wood, almost 3D. I was very surprised and pleased with the way it turned out.

Mike Davis · 01-25-2009, 09:19 AM

I use a home brew similar to DaveO except I use Marine Spar Varnish instead of Polyurethane. The Spar Varnish is more forgiving and will not show a line if you sand through it. Marine Varnish has UV inhibitors which may or may not help depending on the location of the finished piece.

This has about 5 coats of my blend. Rubbed with steel wool between coats and finished with Johnson paste wax a month after the last coat.

Rob · 01-25-2009, 09:24 AM

About equal parts MS, BLO, and gloss Polyurethane.

What is MS? Do you use the Minwax poly you get from the BORG?

TracyP · 01-25-2009, 09:26 AM

MS is mineral spirits.

fergy · 01-25-2009, 09:28 AM

Thanks for the inputs, guys.

The pieces will wind up getting a lot of UV on them, as well as being in a high humidity environment, in that they are being used for a reef aquarium stand and canopy. The canopy will get the most of the humidity as well as high temperature.

But, I've always been a Danish oil fan. I guess it's time to test that out again. I was leaning toward the Arm-r-seal stuff again, but as stated in another thread I've had troubles with it in the past.

I was pondering spraying catalyzed lacquer, as I've got a setup for that. I just want to make sure I get the grain to pop as much as I can.

So is anybody using a grain filler with this stuff, or dying it at all to increase contrast?

mlzettl · 01-25-2009, 09:32 AM

I concur with the above posts recommending a penetrating oil. Depending upon the intended use, varying degrees of protection can be achieved according to the product that you're using.

I've used both Danish Oil and Waterlox for over 30 years, and have preferences of one or the other depending upon the project. I'm currently putting on the last coats of Waterlox on a dining table. An excellent product, but pricey as Dave remarked, and it's best if you can use the whole can, as the shelf life is quite disappointing, no matter what you do to try to prolong it.

Just about any finish that you decide upon will look good if you take your time with surface prep and finish application. In my experience, it is not the particular product that is most important. When finished well, sapele is almost indistinguishable from true mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla). In fact, I would defy most people to be able to distinguish the two.

Be sure to show us the results!

Matt

fergy · 01-25-2009, 09:41 AM

Not just pics of the final piece. I promise I'll post a documentary of the work in progress.

In a related question, do any of you happen to know the Genus/species of what's being passed as "African mahogany"? I know sapelle is often used as a substitute, but I'd like to know what this other wood I've got truly is.

bluthart · 01-25-2009, 10:16 AM

If you have that much moisture, I think McClosky's Man-O-War Spar Varnish might do well after your oil finish. I have used it on Brazilian Cherry and it really pulls out the grain, and is great protection against UV and moisture. This is so cool - I have actually have experience with something you guys are talking about on here!

bluthart · 01-25-2009, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by fergy

Not just pics of the final piece. I promise I'll post a documentary of the work in progress.

In a related question, do any of you happen to know the Genus/species of what's being passed as "African mahogany"? I know sapelle is often used as a substitute, but I'd like to know what this other wood I've got truly is.

I believe it is Khaya, or Khaya ivorensis. Another species is Sipo, which grows in Africa and is an excellent substitute for Pattern grade Honduras Mahogany.
I own some of each of this but haven't had a chance to play with it yet.

mlzettl · 01-25-2009, 11:30 AM

African mahogany is Khaya ivorensis.

Sapele is Entandrophragma cylindricum.

Sipo is Entandrophragma utile, also known as Utile,which is the name that I have seen most often.

None of these woods is true mahogany, which grows naturally only in the Western Hemisphere. True mahoganies belong to the genus Swietenia and include Honduran (macrophylla) and East Indian or Cuban (mahogani), the most highly prized of all mahoganies, rare and expensive. Most Honduran now comes out of Brazil.

Matt

FredP · 01-25-2009, 01:45 PM

if it will be around a reef [salt water] tank I recomend spar urathane for sure. salt water reeks havok with most finishes.

fergy · 01-25-2009, 01:49 PM

I've actually had fine results with sprayed polyurethane before, on a piece that came out of a production shop. I've also been okay with the Arm-r-seal. I don't want to get nuts with spar urethane except on the inside, because it tends to look plastic.

I'd be fine with several coats of catalyzed lacquer as well. I'm not submerging anything. But I'm worried that the danish oils wouldn't be enough.