Frank then introduced our featured speaker, Steven Bauer, whose topic is finishing.

Steven has a degree in print making from the University of Louisville, is a watercolorist and furniture designer, and musician, as well as a professional finisher.

The first point of his talk was that the difference between the crafts of cabinet making and finishing is that cabinet making must be done right the first time, but finishes can be stripped and re-applied. If you use a professional finisher you need to establish mutual expectations up front. The work must be delivered to him in a glue free and sanded condition or there could be significant extra charges for cleanup. A finish he has liked recently is Gemini WB0210, which is water based and can be sanded in 30 minutes. A finish that he has used on bar tops is Rubio Monocoat, which is a zero VOC material intended for exterior decking. It is a wipe-on wipe-off oil that is waterproof. The clear version is best and the new version has extreme UV resistance.

Ceruse finish example

Ceruse finish example

He then talked about ceruse finishes, which originally involved rubbing white lead into the wood grain. Instead he uses paste wood filler after wire brushing the surface. The excess is scraped off using a razor blade.

To prep wood for clear coating it is best to sand to 180 grit. Use clear water to ensure that all glue is gone. If coloring is desired, one should use water based dye colors applied with a sponge. Then sand to 240 grit. At this point he prefers to use a Festool random orbital sander which he feels gives swirl free results.

Clear finishes include conversion varnish and lacquer. Lacquer can be based on nitrocellulose or acrylic and can be removed with a solvent. Conversion varnish has a catalyst added to it. Conversion varnish can be hit and not get dented, but lacquer will not survive this. Conversion varnish is heat resistant and flexible.

His finishing schedule is as follows. Glue size the edges using glue with 10% water added, sand and then spray on primer. Fix all nicks with Bondo and spray 2 more coats of primer. Sand again and clean up with tack cloth. Spray 2 coats of conversion varnish, sanding between coats. The varnish dries in 10 minutes.

For polishing he uses automotive products. He wet sands with 2000 grit and uses 3M buffing compounds.

For coloring agents you can use dye colors in solution or pigment particles in suspension. You should not use pigments on figured wood as it destroys the chatoyence. Do not use aniline dyes as they are not colorfast. He prefers to use water as dye solvent rather than alcohol as the alcohol dries too quickly. To bleach wood he uses Wood Kote 2 part bleach, which consists of hydrogen peroxide, followed by sodium hydroxide. He gets most of his information on materials and techniques using Google.

A "burning finish" - wood surface is charred with MAP gas burner then rubbed down and sealed

After a 10 minute break Ken Napior gave a tech talk on Arts and Crafts style furniture.

There are many English styles-William and Mary, Queen Anne, Georgian, japanned. Between 1890 and 1920 English artists and craftsmen got together and started a movement to promote moral and social health and get away from industrial furniture. August Stickley was one of the leaders who published plans in books and magazines. John Ruskin promulgated the 7 lamps of architecture. Among them were materials, construction techniques, joinery, design, decoration, and finishes.

Quarter sawn oak characteristics

Quarter sawn white oak was the main material used because it is strong and durable with an excellent surface. They used frame and panel construction with solid wood, precise joinery, and unpretentious design with little use of turned legs or moldings. The joinery was mostly mortise and tenon and lap joints sometimes using pegs with the joinery often visible. The designs give the impression of squareness. Decorations on chairs included cane or leather seats. The finishes were varnish or oil and included fuming the oak with ammonia to make it darker. Fine Woodworking magazine #77 has a good article on varnishes. Good references are Arts and Crafts Furniture by Kevin Rodel and Jonathan Binzen and Arts and Crafts Furniture Anyone Can Make by David Thiel.

The movement intended to reduce the use of machinery in furniture manufacturing, although in the US machinery is often used to reduce drudgery. Some of the leaders of the movement were Ruskin who designed home interiors in the Arts and Crafts style, William Morris, and Gustav Stickley. Their mantra was to turn artists into craftsmen and craftsmen into artists.