African blackwood

[yorkshireman]

Made a blackwood sierra last night and its the first time I've used this particular wood. Very impressed with it, very dense but turns nicely. When it came to the finish I used EEE then shellawax and a finally a quick coat of renaissance wax. The finished article looks OK but I just got the feeling that it could be better. Its as though the wood is so dense I should have used something different. Any ideas gents.

keith

 

[paulm]

Wot, no picture?

 

[PhillH]

Pictures ?

 

[Jim]

Not true without showing us Keith ..

 

[Woody]

Blackwood normally takes an excellent high gloss finish the only thing I can think of is you didnt do more than one coat of eee and buff another thing I use on top of eee is a woodturners stick (carnauba wax) and buff on every coat till the desired finish is achieved

 

[yorkshireman]

Sorry no photos gents as I took it to work and someone offered me £20 for it so its gone. I'll try again with another next week.

keith

 

[Jim]

Ok, we forgive you this once ..

It is a long time since i turned Blackwood Keith, other than using it for center bands .. But i used to use a few coats of sand sealer on the blanks then left to dry before polishing it up with the same finish as you mention above...

 

[Terry]

I was going to say the same as Jim. Use a sanding sealer first. Unless I use an oil finish then I always use sanding sealer as a base coat and it always works!!!!!

 

[paulm]

Rule 1. No photo, cost £20... pay up

 

[Penpal]

Blackwood sometimes responds badly to heat developed during the sanding finishing stage but can acheive brilliant finishes with care see Woodies commenyts I second them.

Kind regards Peter.

 

[yorkshireman]

Thanks for helpful suggestions gents. I'll try to get one turned and photographed next week.

keith

 

[rowdyyates115]

Keith,
I have used BLO and CA on Blackwood, finished with Micromesh and TCut. This has produced a really hard high gloss shine.

 

[PhillH]

Sorry no photos gents as I took it to work and someone offered me £20 for it so its gone. I'll try again with another next week.

keith

A true Yorkshireman

 

[Grump]

kIETH i KNOW WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM PAL oops sorry for shouting, I have entered a request for new keyboard fingers and a mouse hand but slow delivery on them at the moment.
Back to the point init?
I pride myself on my finishing skills, always have done since a youngster in the RN when duke of Edinburgh said "shiniest boots I have seen all day", he didn't say that to anyone else on parade and I got the job of shoe shiner to the skipper.
I have a Jnr gent in black African or the other way round and it will not take a shine don't matter what I do to it.
I have ca'd it, came up white. I have oiled it, lastrd a few days. I have waxed it until it shone like whotsit in a oojamflips arse but it still wore away in a week.
It sits on my desk now and it is flat as a witches tit. Don't matter what I do it will not hold a shine, it is now split where it has been on and off the lathe rubbed with meths and started again so many times.
I give in with it, yet al the others from the same branch came out lovely. Sods law mate win some lose some init?

 

[yorkshireman]

Keith,
I have used BLO and CA on Blackwood, finished with Micromesh and TCut. This has produced a really hard high gloss shine.

Thanks for that Rowdy but I won't touch CA

 

[yorkshireman]

kIETH i KNOW WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM PAL oops sorry for shouting, I have entered a request for new keyboard fingers and a mouse hand but slow delivery on them at the moment.
Back to the point init?
I pride myself on my finishing skills, always have done since a youngster in the RN when duke of Edinburgh said "shiniest boots I have seen all day", he didn't say that to anyone else on parade and I got the job of shoe shiner to the skipper.
I have a Jnr gent in black African or the other way round and it will not take a shine don't matter what I do to it.
I have ca'd it, came up white. I have oiled it, lastrd a few days. I have waxed it until it shone like whotsit in a oojamflips arse but it still wore away in a week.
It sits on my desk now and it is flat as a witches tit. Don't matter what I do it will not hold a shine, it is now split where it has been on and off the lathe rubbed with meths and started again so many times.
I give in with it, yet al the others from the same branch came out lovely. Sods law mate win some lose some init?

That sounds like mine. Shone like a shining thing on the lathe but that only lasted 3 minutes 28 seconds and now its as dull as a......er dull thing. Must be from the same branch as yours.

 

[yorkshireman]

A true Yorkshireman

You can take the boy out of yorkshire but you can't take yorkshire out of the boy.

 

[Buckeye]

I have never used Blackwood, is it an oily wood?

Peter

 

[stevenw1963]

This is a lovely wood to turn as you say & I finish mine with sanding sealer then spray melamine lacquer from Chestnut. Always leaves a decent shine except the odd one as Brian says, where nothing you do will make it shine. Sods law in play methinks.

 

[yorkshireman]

I have never used Blackwood, is it an oily wood?

Peter

Certainly the piece I had was oily Peter so I assume that applies to all.