Grain / pore filler for jatoba?

[fergy]

What's the vote on using a filler on jatoba / brazilian cherry? I'm starting to figure out the finishing schedule for this project, and I can't decide how I want to finish it at the moment, but an application of danish oil on a scrap tonight made me realize how open the grain is.

 

[mckenziedrums]

Are you planning on using oil for the finish? I'm not a huge fan of using oil on top of grain fillers because it's in essence designed to soak into the wood. What I've done in the past is use oil first, mostly for the color, lay down a shellac barrier coat, then grain fill and top coat. That way everything is sticking to what it should stick to and you don't have any issues with adhesion. I can recommend a water based grain filler from Target Coatings... it takes more time than an epoxy one but it's easier to deal with I think.

 

[fergy]

Yes, my plan is most likely a danish oil basecoat, followed by transtint-tinted shellac to shade it to the final color, before pre-cat lacquer topcoat. The shellac will probably fill the pores enough, but I wanted to see what others were doing with this wood.

 

[merrill77]

Yes, my plan is most likely a danish oil basecoat, followed by transtint-tinted shellac to shade it to the final color, before pre-cat lacquer topcoat. The shellac will probably fill the pores enough, but I wanted to see what others were doing with this wood.

I've never used Jatoba. But I'm now finishing a white oak piece and am building another out of padauk - both are large-pored woods. When I tested with pore filler on the white oak, I thought it obscured the wood too much. I filled the pores with shellac by putting on 10 coats, then cutting back the finish nearly to the surface (but leaving the shellac in the pores). Then repeated with about 5 coats. Then a final two coats and polish. The results really show the beauty of the wood and the grain is very evident, but the surface is perfectly smooth. Hopefully, the results on my final product will equal the results on my test piece.

Chris

 

[mckenziedrums]

I'll post a picture of the walnut shells I'm working on tomorrow to give you an idea what clear grain filler can do. Shellac is all well and good but it's really not designed to be filler and you can make your life a lot tougher on yourself going that route versus a clear 100% solids filler.

 

[mlzettl]

Tim,

I have use a lot of jatoba, and have never found the need to use a grain filler. I do use oil finishes most of the time, but I don't really consider jatoba to have a very open grain. It may not be like maple or cherry, but on the other hand, it is not open like oak either. I think it really depends upon what you are looking for in the finished piece. If you want a high gloss, mirror finish, then a filler would certainly be worth consideration. If you want the other extreme of a more natural looking surface, then a filler would not be needed. I would suggest doing a couple of samples, one with a filler and one without, using the same finish schedule otherwise. Let us know what you decide upon, and post some pictures of the finished piece. :thumbs_up

Hope this helps.

Matt

 

[mckenziedrums]

Matt,

Good point... not everyone wants to fill the grain to the surface and then build after that. However, with my testing from yesterday I realized that with a large enough tip on an hvlp gun you can actually spray filler and get the results of several coats of another product with just one coat. As much as everyone loves finishing I figured if you can find a quicker/easier way to seal up the shell for the final top coat you'd like to know about it. My excitement from saving myself about 6-8 coats probably got me a little carried away!

 

[mlzettl]

Tim,

That is a very useful tip. :thumbs_up Perhaps you might be willing to be a little more specific on the type of HVLP gun you use, the tip size, and the filler that you are spraying. Although I don't typically use the type of finish that you employ, I do occasionally want a flatter, more glossy finish. Your expertise is appreciated.

Matt

 

[mckenziedrums]

I'm pretty much a Target Coatings junkie... I looked a long time to find a water based system that gave me results that were as close to what I'd get with automotive clears as possible. There's still a long way to go for the water borne clears but I've had the best results with their stuff and Jeff, the owner, is quick to respond to any questions or concerns. In this case I was spraying the HSF 5100 high solids filler. I need to correct a previous post, but this is 35% solids which isn't overly high and allows for it to be sprayed.

For the actually spraying I have an air compressor that's in the 26 gallon range I believe. I've got an oil/water trap at the compressor and then I like to keep a filter down close to the gun. With water based you just need to keep the oil out so I don't worry about drying the air. I've got 2 primary guns I shoot with and believe it or not they're both cheapie guns. Most of my drum spraying gets done with a little harbor freight detail hvlp gun that cost me a whopping $25 and then I've got a nicer chinese made gun ($80-90 range) that I used for the filler. That one has a 1.4mm tip on it currently and got the job done beautifully.

Getting the clear on is the easy part after a while... the final results are always dependent on the final wet sanding and buffing. I'll sand with 800,1000,1500, and 2000 before buffing with 2 different 3M compounds when I want a deep gloss finish.

 

[mlzettl]

Thanks for those details, Tim. I'm glad to know that you can get such great results with an inexpensive gun. I have three guns similar to what you are describing. I have never used Target products, but I have read good things, so confirmation of that is always reassuring. I do have familiarity with the sanding and compound sequence that you describe, although not with any of my woodworking. I did a ground up restoration of an old BSA motorcycle about 15-20 years ago, and did all the finish work myself using nitrocellulose lacquer. Came out great.

Matt

 

[fergy]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I'm still preparing my samples, so I'll see how it all turns out and post pictures of the finishing process as I go.