[Claytonc]

I am about to cut a sign for our gun shop. I'm going to cut it out of a table top that I believe is cherry.
What would you guys suggest I finish it with? I was either thinking about painting everything OR using some sort of stain to make all the detail stand out.
From past projects I have found that my finishing skills are very lacking so I need some professional help and advice.

[Trotline]

The easiest and simplest finish is oil. Get some boiled linseed oil and just rub it on with a rag. Wait a day, and repeat. You can add a small amount of stain to the oil if you want to go darker. Test plain oil on the surface of the stock before you cut it to see what it'll look like. This is just about the most foolproof finish, and you can add more coats anytime, and rub with fine steel wool to get a nice shine.

Luke

Edit to add: It occurred to me that I had assumed this would be an indoor sign. If it's going outdoors, then oil probably isn't the best choice. In that case, I'd use spar urethane or paint. Either one of those requires some technique to do well, though.

[Claytonc]

Luke, thank you for your information. Linseed oil huh? Sounds pretty easy. You mentioned rubbing it with fine steal wool to get a nice shine. Is this done long after it has dried or while being applied? I know its a stupid question but as I said, Ive not had the best luck when it comes to finishing and I want to do this one right. Linseed oil sounds so easy and perfect. And yes, this is an inside sign

Also, Is linseed oil good to use on any wood?

[LeeWay]

Actually BLO doesn't actually dry or cure. It does to the touch of course, but never leaves a film coating. It is susceptible to new stains. In other words, if something is spilled that is darker and oil based, it can penetrate the BLO and become permanent. It stinks too. I prefer something like Tung oil. I usually mix in about 50/50 polyurethane and rub it in in successive coats lightly sanding between them. I don't like using steel wool either. It can leave residual steel particles in there that can actually rust over time. I prefer either 3M Scotch Brite pads or fine sand paper. Though my methods differ from Luke's, many wood workers do use his technique. I have in the past as well. It isn't wrong, just different. There are many many ways to handle it.

[Trotline]

Hehe, I couldn't agree more with LeeWay. Finishing techniques are as individual as fingerprints, and even the same person may do different things at different times. I actually use tung oil more than BLO myself. I guess I just think of when I started out as the simple old days.

To the OP's last question, whatever you use to buff, do it between coats, after the previous has dried, and again after the final coat has dried. The oil tends to slightly raise the grain and small, fuzzy splinter ends. That's what you're fine polishing away with the buffing. With a few coats, you'll generally get a nice satin finish. It can be carried to ridiculous extremes. Some guys out there would consider 5-6 coats to be only half-done...

Luke

[Claytonc]

Thank you both for your input. Now with the linseed oil, would I need to reapply every so often? If it doesn't dry I would think you might have to every once in a while. This needs to be something I can hang up and never have to touch again. I kind of like the idea of the 50/50 polyurethane and Tung oil as it sounds like it would have more of a "finished" look and feel. Of course I have no idea how its going to look in the end till I get there but as I said I would like to have it so when its done its done. If Linseed or Tung oil will work by itself I may just do that but I think I have some polyurethane here so I could do the mix thing too..hmmm.. decisions decisions.
I really enjoy designing and building stuff but the finishing part just isn't my forte.(yet)

[LeeWay]

I really like to use the 50/50. It will allow you to make it gloss, satin or otherwise. The oil really pops the wood grain and the poly protects it. I rub on successive coats.
I used 7 coats on this chess table I built. Took about two days total. You can recoat 3 to 4 times a day. It dries pretty fast, because you aren't applying thick coats.

[Claytonc]

DAYUM!! Nice work man! The finish looks great and I can not believe the amount of work that must have went into that. Very nice
The only problem I might see is that since I am doing a relief carving I might have problems getting into all the little nooks and crannies. Any suggestions for nooks and crannies? lol A sponge maybe?

[LeeWay]

Thanks.
The chess table had virtually no end grain showing. When you do have a lot of end grain, like you would with lettering, then it can take a bit more work to get it evenly finished. The end grain will soak it up very fast.
You can apply it with a foam brush first to get it into the cracks well and then just wipe it out with a rag to remove excess. That should work pretty well.

[Claytonc]

Well... Not sure what I've got wrong but this combination mixes like oil and water.. it don't..
Its hard to see in the picture but you can see the poly in the bottom and its white. I've never seen white polyurethane before either. Where'd I go wrong?

[LeeWay]

You can't use water based poly. You have to use oil based stuff. Sooo, you are correct. It does mix like oil and water.

If it says soap and water cleanup, it's not oil based.
Formby's is a good product straight out of the can, but adding more poly to it will increase the top film strength and durability. It seems to speed up the dry time between coats as well.

[Claytonc]

Thanks man.. Looks like staining is going to be put off another day. There where some holes In the wood from where the screws to hold the legs came trough. I plugged them with wood putty before I cut the sign but now they look like white dots. I tried to drop a drip of redwood stain on them but I may have done more harm than good. Probably should have left them alone...

[LeeWay]

You will find it difficult to match any wood filler with stain to any natural wood. If completely staining everything, it is a little easier. Some fillers are far better than others.
I like to use "Plastic Wood" by Dap and "Professional Wood Filler" by Famowood. Stay away from Elmer's. Minwax also has a wood filler that gets good rating, but I haven't tried it.
Both of the above can be thinned with lacquer thinner. Both dry very fast.

[Claytonc]

yeah, I was reading about the tung oil. I probably got the wrong stuff there too didn't I? From what I understand Tung oil finish already has other stuff in it. Can I use the finish stuff and just use less polyurethane? Or is the 50/50 mix still ok with it?

[LeeWay]

I generally do 50/50, because it is easy. That is what works well for me. You can use it straight of course, but you can experiment and make it your own formula. No set rules other than don't mix water based poly with any kind of oil.