# Newbie Bubinga wood finishing



## thebrakshow (Oct 24, 2011)

Ok, so first off I want ask if the wood is in fact Bubinga (see attached photo). I had my dad pick it up from a specialty woods shop, when he got home it didn't look like it to me since it doesn't have all the crazy wood grain patterns. I took it back and the guys there swear it is Bubinga. That leads me to my next question, do the crazy patterns come out after it is sanded and finished? or am i stuck with a $50 piece of wood that is going to look "ok" apposed to "amazing" like all the Bubinga pictures i have seen online. finially does anybody have any tips on how and what to use for finishing it? Thanks!


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

thebrakshow said:


> I took it back and the guys there swear it is Bubinga.


They say it's Bubinga, it probably is.

Like all wood- some pieces have better grain patterns than others. Sometimes you just have to pick through the pile to find that special one that has your name on it. 
JMO


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

It looks like Bubinga to me. Different pieces of wood will look different and the orientation of how it was cut can make a big difference. It's an easy wood to finish. It sands and scrapes well. You can use just about any finish and it will look good.

If the piece has sapwood or areas that feel sticky, wipe down with acetone before applying any finish. It takes stains and dyes well if you are wanting to do that. If you use an oil, like BLO, allow it to dry completely before adding a finish.

Most topcoats will look good, I would not use shellac or any waxes.












 







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## phinds (Mar 25, 2009)

Bubinga has WILDLY varying degrees of figure. Never buy any sight unseen.

See my bubinga page to see what I'm talking about

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/bubinga.htm

EDIT: and, yes, this is bubinga. Actually, it's quite a nice piece for plain flat cut. You were maybe expecting mottled or something fancy? That's the problem w/ buying sight unseen.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

I think the bubinga you're thinking of is called waterfall bubing...very highly figured and also very rare and expensive...you'd probably pay 3-4 times more for wood like that than what you have.


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## thebrakshow (Oct 24, 2011)

Thanks for the info guys! YES, sawdustfactory you are correct, I was expecting Waterfall Bubinga...:wallbash: I should have done more research before buying. It's just when I searched bubinga it always came up with waterfall bubinga except it didn't say to much about the waterfall part! Im using the wood to make a box for an amplifier i just made. I think ill use the bubinga wood I have for the bottom, left, right, and back pannel and try to get a small piece of waterfall bubinga for the front plate. the top will be plexiglass so you can see the amp inside. I think that would look just fine.:yes: Thanks again for the help guys! ill try and post a picture on this same thread when i finish it.


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## brianM (Oct 24, 2011)

That looks like bubinga to me as well. I have used Danish Oil on that wood before and it looks great. Need to let it dry for 72 hours before topcoat. I use wipe on poly for a nice shine. Good luck with that project.


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