# Finish for spalted maple.



## dzrtrataz (Nov 20, 2009)

I'm making a bowl from spalted maple. What would be the best finish to bring out the detail in the grain. Stain it or use an some type of oil. Also would you use lacquar on it.

The bowl is going to be a gift, So I'm guessing she would use it for snack.

Thanks.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm no turner so I can't really tell you what is good, but I use dewaxed shellac on spalted maple and it looks sharp.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

dzrtrataz said:


> I'm making a bowl from spalted maple. What would be the best finish to bring out the detail in the grain. Stain it or use an some type of oil. Also would you use lacquar on it.
> 
> The bowl is going to be a gift, So I'm guessing she would use it for snack.
> 
> Thanks.


Any finish would work but some finishes yellow as they age and may not be suitable for what you are doing. You could use a super blonde shellac, any finish that is an acrylic or most water based finishes. If you like working with lacquer most the box stores sell is a type called nitrocellulose. This type is one that yellows as it ages. You could use a cab-acrylic lacquer which is difficult to find or pre-catalyzed or fully catalyzed lacquer. With the catayzed lacquers you use a vinyl sealer rather than sanding sealer. 

If you use a water based finish you should first coat the wood with boiled linseed oil to make the grain pop. Now linseed oil is incompatable with water based finishes. You need to let the linseed oil dry for a week before topcoating. If you are in a hurry you can put a single coat of Zinsser Sealcoat on as a barrier coat and then proceed with the water based finish.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Nice box Dom !!!

Different finishes have different outcomes....some yellow quickly ...some take time....some /???/ supposedly never change. I'm not saying they will...I'm saying I haven't seen or used them long enough to say how they will survive.
Here's spalted maple chair bottoms....Hand rubbed Deft gloss lacquer (supposedly none yellowing) until full and then hand waxed with Minwax wax finish.















Here's spalted maple bartop..the first pic is sample finish with the rubbed lacquer 








with poly I think ( client finished after their carpenter installed)








Here's spalted buckeye eating/dining top with Waterlox....it has one more coat to go after all the trades are finished.








I've not used the waterbased finishes ...yet!!??**


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