In part 5, I discuss and demonstrate my two favorite pore-filling processes. Pore filling is very important when you want to apply a high gloss topcoat. If you are working with oak, mahogany, or walnut, this is something you should consider, so check it out!
Refinishing Pt. 1
Refinishing Pt. 2
Refinishing Pt. 3
Refinishing Pt. 4
Refinishing Pt. 5
Refinishing Pt. 6
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16 Responses to “3- Refinishing (Pt. 5)”
Another excellent video! Keep up the good work!
Marc, I just found your site. Fantastic! I’ve viewed every podcast at least once. I’m located in Melbourne, Australia, so find it really nice to be able to pick up some professional instruction via the net.
Thanks for a great show!
I just found this site based on a suggestion from another message board. Episode 3 was just what I was looking for. I will be a frequenter of your site from now on.
Excellent videos, thanks.
Marc, I’m really enjoying your podcasts. In this video you talk about using sand paper with a mix of oil, and varnish to fill the pores of open pored wood. Any recommendation on the ratio of the two components? Also, would you recommend this, or a different, procedure for filling pores in oak plywood. I know I wouldn’t want to do too much sanding since the veneer is pretty thin.
Per! What’s up my man?
For the ratio, I would do the standard 1/3 oil, 1/3 varnish, 1/3 mineral spirits blend.
I would definitely recommend this for plywood, as long as you don’t get too crazy. You don’t need a whole lot of dust to get the slurry going. If you know you have exceptionally thin veneer, of course you want to exercise caution. But most plywood I work with would be able to withstand this treatment. Now if you opt for a commercial filler, you are going to have to do a good bit of sanding to remove the excess filler after it dries. So you will wind up sanding a good amount anyway. Just be cautious and patient, and I think you’ll be fine.
Take care man.
hey Mark noticed you were using danish oil and it looked pretty nice. im not too familiar with that type of oil. what advantages are there and would you be able to use it on countertops as a finish?
thanks and appreciate the help.
Hey William. In general, Danish Oil is nothing more than an oil/varnish blend. I use it for pore-filling because it doesn’t gum up right away like a pure varnish would.
I know many folks who use Danish oil on table tops with great success. But if it were me, I would just go with straight varnish for a table top. Its nice to have the extra durability. But for something like an occasional table or an end table, an oil/varnish blend will give you decent protection and exceptional beauty.
For a countertop? I wouldn’t use it. I would stick with table top varnish or polyurethane.
Hi Marc,
Was directed to your site from another woodworking site I frequent… Episode 3 / Refinishing is exactly what I needed. I have a project that is going to require a lot of careful sanding and prepping and this is just the how-to I needed to get started. I’m going to be a regular visitor and I am a novice woodworker at the present, but want to hone my skills.
Thanks, again.
great to have you here. I am sure I’ll see ya around! Good luck with that project.
Marc,
Thanks for more great information. Not sure if you remember me, I’m the guy who turns fly rod reel seat inserts. I’ve been continuing to use an oil-modified urethane marketed to gunstock finishers and continue to modify my process. The finishes I’m getting are really nice, as I now apply more liberally, then use lint free paper to remove all but a film. Lots of applications required. But after watching this video I raced out to the garage and turned a couple of inserts out of a couple of different walnut species. Then I used Danish oil and sanded with 400 grit and the lathe set at ~500 rpm to fill the pores. These will sit until tomorrow when I’ll assess the situation and maybe do another wet sanding with Danish. I’m looking forward to finishing over pore filled walnut. Thanks again for all the help you’ve provided through your site.
Jeff Shafer
Hey Marc, glad I started watching your series. Every episode has several tips that I expect to use soon, and you make them easy to understand with the voiceover instruction and why’s in addition to the how to’s.
Hey Marc,
I’m really digging your web site and I’m restraining myself from flooding the blog with questions, but I do have a couple regarding this pore-filling. What about the end grain? Do you have to fill that as well? If you’re using something like the Danish oil method, does it soak in further thus requiring more sanding? I’m looking at doing a very small project made from Red Oak and I want it to have a high gloss finish but the end grain will be exposed. Any suggestions?
Jesse
If the end grain is part of the top, I would definitely try to fill it. How much it takes up will depend on the species of wood. But it can’t hurt to do it. And if you do this, the surface should be well sanded already so you should only need to do some light surface sanding after the filler/finish dries. Also, be sure to practice this on scrap to make sure this is the method you want to use. Its not quite as efficient as using an actual commercial filler like Timbermate.
Thanks. But will the blonde color of Timbermate stick out when I finish the project? Or is this something where I may want to tint the Timbermate with a little dye? I read another thread about a product called Crystalac and it says it dries clear (So I would assume no dye would be necessary). Your thoughts?
I never worked with CrystaLac before so I can’t really compare it. But I would recommend reading all the reviews here since many folks have discussed their application method on Rockler’s site: http://www.rockler.com/product.....=crystalac
If you do go with Timbermate, you can either use dye or just buy a color that already matches what you’re looking for.