What top coat do you guys like?

[AudioAaron]

I used miniwax oil poly applied with a wooster brush in a garage over several days, several coats. Like Timcognito mentions, a scotchbrite pad will knock off settled dust nibs between coats. After about 3-coats or so, I buffed with steel wool and abrasive powders. Final result was a thick reflective glossy coat. I looked for photos on an old pc today but came up blank. This was the first thing I ever finished, aside from school projects with wipe-on. It was a subwoofer box with mahogany veneer from PE. Seemed pretty straightforward and I was pleased with the results. I ended up throwing the box away after it took too much damage from several moves, but the finish still looked great.

 

[mightycicadalord]

What I've wondered is the steel wool part, does this not scratch the finish?

 

[AudioAaron]

It's polishing the finish, like using polish on your cars paint. It's abrading with finer and finer scratches that are ultimately not visible.

 

[antennaguru]

If I don't want a high gloss then I use Tung Oil, or Watco Danish Teak Oil Finish.

 

[Timcognito]

What I've wondered is the steel wool part, does this not scratch the finish?

My experience is that steel wool implants shards in the wood and finish. Best for me 000 steel wool equivalent synthetic abrasive pad, AKA scotch-brite followed by a vacuum and clean rag rub down with thinner (dries in under a minute). I have great luck leaving the last coat alone. I should have said earlier, the wipe on poly with a clean rag ensures a even surface that is impossible with no touch spray and difficult with brush which also has to cleaned between coats.
Work quickly when wiping do not try to fix any thing when tacky.

 

[puppet]

Spray lacquer ended up clouding so it's too humid to do that here so thats off the table.

Quick question on this issue .. you didn't spray over fresh oil did you? That'll do it every time.
For your enclosures, you'd want to use a wash coat of shellac or a lacquer sanding sealer first.

 

[mightycicadalord]

My experience is that steel wool implants shards in the wood and finish. Best for me 000 steel wool equivalent synthetic abrasive pad, AKA scotch-brite followed by a vacuum and clean rag rub down with thinner (dries in under a minute). I have great luck leaving the last coat alone. I should have said earlier, the wipe on poly with a clean rag ensures a even surface that is impossible with no touch spray and difficult with brush which also has to cleaned between coats.

What about say, a layer or two of wipe on, then spray? I've been getting really consistent results with spray in the garage just testing stuff on scrap.

I had to put a little more danish oil on some spots yesterday, so my timer has reset on when I can put anything on top.

Quick question on this issue .. you didn't spray over fresh oil did you? That'll do it every time.
For your enclosures, you'd want to use a wash coat of shellac or a lacquer sanding sealer first.

The oil was well beyond dry, it was bone dry after a day and I still waited a week which is four more days than it says on the can.

 

[Timcognito]

What about say, a layer or two of wipe on, then spray? I've been getting really consistent results with spray in the garage just testing stuff on scrap.

If spay works go for it. Not a spay hater, just no way to get it even in my experience plus sags and drips. Organic varnishes and oils, oil based products, brake down and yellow. Stick with polyurethane. Mixing one product with another is risky without a through pre-test. The finishes these days miles ahead of those just 20 years ago. The doors I did had multiple levels, moldings and inside corners which lend themselves to wipe-on where one removes excess from tight spots. Uniform flat surfaces are simpler so options are more varied. As veteran woodworker I say do your homework, test options and get a good result at this last step.

 

[mightycicadalord]

Thanks for the tips.

I've also considered asking some shops around here what they would do, some professional advice. What I'd give to pick the brain of the salk sound cabinet shop guys.

 

[willy65000]

Maybe consider Rubio Monocoat. I used it on a quarter sawn white oak bath vanity and it really did a nice job of highlighting the figuring. It's also really user friendly and can easily be repaired. It's a linsead oil wax type finish.

 

[mightycicadalord]

One concern I have is how long it will take for me to be able to bring the speakers inside. I have some stuff with poly that was put in a month ago and still stinks, thin single coats too. How long does that linger?

 

[Timcognito]

One concern I have is how long it will take for me to be able to bring the speakers inside. I have some stuff with poly that was put in a month ago and still stinks, thin single coats too. How long does that linger?

The stuff I used, Minwax Wipe-on Poly, 24 hours no smell. Had my floors refinished last year with polyurethane and it took ~ 2 days to be completely smell free.

 

[bluefuzz]

Birchwood Casey's Tru-Oil creates a phenomenal finish and relatively fool proof.

I'd second this. I use Tru-oil on most of my guitars. Very easy to apply. Just wipe it on as thin as possible with a paper towel or cloth. You can do two or three coats a day. For the most beautiful finish possible add a shellac French polish on top of the Tru-oil. Takes some skill but it's great fun and not really that difficult when you get the hang of it.

 

[carbidetooth]

It's unclear to me what you have now and what your objective is and how the products suggested might interact. Sounds as if you've got some penetrating oil on there now...presumably to enhance grain appearance?

As I understand it you'd like the appearance of depth in a multi-coat surface building finish. Do you want the "woodiness" of grain showing? Glassiness like a dining room table? Most cabinet shops would be using some sort of catalyzed finish. Pre-cat lacquer or some form of conversion finish. Almost all spray can lacquer is nitrocellulose lacquer. Easy to use and touch-up, also almost unlimited as to thickness buildup. To achieve much of a build up though, I can't hardly imagine using spray cans on something so large. It's going to be a bunch of cans and a sore trigger finger.

If you can describe or post photo of what you're after and what you've already applied, perhaps I can suggest a path forward.

 

[D!sco]

On hardwoods I use 50/50 Danish and Tung oil. Hard, waterproof, long lasting, and gives a nice slight antique gold to the finish. It's another love/hate. Technically it takes a long time to apply/wash/sand, but it's super nice when done appropriately. My desk has a mirror shine and no spots from spills.

 

[TimF]

Tung oil, the real thing, is difficult to get right. It is the hard way from my experience.

 

[ex audiophile]

I could not find the video but the Wood Whisperer produced a great review of finishes and his journey through the complex and confusing topic. He has ended up using only the urethane resins (Arm R Seal, Osmo, Rubio) and nothing else. I made the same journey and now my cabinet has only Arm R Seal satin (you can choose more gloss if you wish). Easy to apply and natural looking, easy to touch up if needed and not toxic like lacquers. I'm done with spray booths and mixing up batches of shellac and other voodoo crap.

 

[ta240]

I really like Odie's oil. It smells pretty great and it's non-toxic.

The only issue is that it's a bit pricey.

If you try the Odies make sure not to skimp on the sanding before application. My second project with it looks quite a bit better, simply because I put the time in on the different grits (220, 320, 400, 600, 1200) of paper leading up to the final 1200 grit. At each step I made sure the entire surface was even. On the second project it looks much more like I have a clear over it.

A huge plus with this stuff is I brought it inside the same evening I finished it.

 

[bluefuzz]

If you try the Odies make sure not to skimp on the sanding before application.

That goes for any finish. Good preparation is 90% of the end result whether you are using wipe on drying oil, sprayed lacquer or hand rubbed shellac and wax. That's why it's called 'finish' ... ;-)

 

[Severian]

I finished my last pair of Baltic birch speakers with a "lemon" hued shellac. It's a beautiful finish and I don't have a garage or other covered outdoor/ventilated space, so being able to apply it indoors is a huge advantage. No water protection of course. I've also had good results with spray lacquer. I don't see the need for poly on speakers, that's more for tables and furniture items that will see a lot of wear.

I love the appearance of the lemon shellac that my next project (not speakers) is going to get several coats for the color and then a light topcoat of wipe-on poly for some added protection.