I came across this article and I thought it was interesting. http://askhlm.com/Home/HLMRedirect....id/75/ArticleId/28/Pre-Raising-The-Grain.aspx
One of the first finishes I tried was Boiled Linseed Oil followed by Shellac (wiped on using a heavily thinned cut). Later on I used Boiled Linseed Oil followed by General Finishes Arm-R-Seal and the result was a super smooth finish. I have done both of these a few times. I have noticed in hindsight that I didn't get any raising of the grain when doing this. I later tried a straight shellac finish (sprayed) and noticed that the grain raised with the first few coats. The current finish that I am doing is straight Arm-R-Seal and I am also noticing that the grain raised for the first several coats.
It seems that the initial coat of BLO really helps keep things smooth. Maybe this doesn't matter at all (which is what the article argues), but it is something that I didn't really realize until today. (This may be common knowledge to everyone else. In that case, just ignore this post)
One of the first finishes I tried was Boiled Linseed Oil followed by Shellac (wiped on using a heavily thinned cut). Later on I used Boiled Linseed Oil followed by General Finishes Arm-R-Seal and the result was a super smooth finish. I have done both of these a few times. I have noticed in hindsight that I didn't get any raising of the grain when doing this. I later tried a straight shellac finish (sprayed) and noticed that the grain raised with the first few coats. The current finish that I am doing is straight Arm-R-Seal and I am also noticing that the grain raised for the first several coats.
It seems that the initial coat of BLO really helps keep things smooth. Maybe this doesn't matter at all (which is what the article argues), but it is something that I didn't really realize until today. (This may be common knowledge to everyone else. In that case, just ignore this post)