finishing wenge

[Califo]

Hi everyone, recently I acquired a large piece of Wenge and I've been TRYING to make a good blank. The wood is a bit porous but great looking grain and contrast. My problem with this piece is finishing it. I used several methods but I CAN'T get it a smooth finish without, either ca rings around the blank or white spots. I have tried the BLO/CA finish and CA with accelerator methods but nothing seems to work. My last try I mixed BLO with saw dust and rubbed it around the blank to see if I could seal some of the holes prior to applying CA,
Anyway, any ideas. I'd hate to see this great piece of wood being unused because I can't get it to a good finish.

Thanks for all your help

 

[terry q]

Marco the only way I can get a decent void free finish with Wenge is to wet sand with CA. The slurry will fill the voids. Use fresh 180 grit. Hold the paper under the blank and drizzle CA. Keep adding CA and moving the paper to get a slurry. Cover the entire blank and wipe it with a paper towel before it hardens. Wiping helps work the slurry into the pores and reduces the amount to sand away. Sand smooth then begin the process of finishing as you normally do. Protect the ways and wear gloves.

 

[hippi]

I have had luck with sanding sealer

 

[carlmorrell]

After bleaching, ten coats of thin ca:

YMMV

 

[wyone]

that is a VERY pretty pen.. love the grain.. so how exactly did you bleach it?

 

[Jim Burr]

Wenge is an extremely long, open grain wood. Personally, I like the texture even after a CA finish without sealing the grain. Give it a shot and see what you think!

 

[Mack C.]

Wenge is an extremely long, open grain wood.

Personally, I like the texture even after a CA finish without sealing the grain. Give it a shot and see what you think!

My preference as well!

 

[Ted iin Michigan]

I've had some success with Wenge, but it can be a bit tough. What I prefer is to apply some paste wax to the ends after turning (to insure the bushings pop free when done) and sanding the wood to the bushings. Then I blast the surface with the compressor to remove all sanding dust that is in the pores of the wood. After that, I wipe down with acetone (DNA would work). Then I apply about 8-10 coats of thin CA - probably a little accelerator after 3rd, 5th & 7th coat. By this time the grain is filled and it's ready for final sanding and polishing. If the grain isn't filled, it's just a matter of applying more coats of CA (never been more than 2 add'l coats for me).
Hope this helps.

 

[carlmorrell]

that is a VERY pretty pen.. love the grain.. so how exactly did you bleach it?

I had some OLD wood bleach in the cabinet. I picked it up at Lowes or Home Depot. I used it to bleach some ash, before I stained it white.

I was disappointed that the exact product I used is no longer on the market. But it is a two part process. And I see with google there are similar products available.

 

[toddlajoie]

that is a VERY pretty pen.. love the grain.. so how exactly did you bleach it?

I had some OLD wood bleach in the cabinet. I picked it up at Lowes or Home Depot. I used it to bleach some ash, before I stained it white.

I was disappointed that the exact product I used is no longer on the market. But it is a two part process. And I see with google there are similar products available.

You can use plain old laundry bleach also. When I've done it, I've followed this procedure:

1. Drill and turn normally, but stop turning well proud of the bushings (or if doing TBC without bushings, stop turning at about .010 over size.
2. Soak blank in pure laundry bleach for about 2 hours. (I put it in a small tupperware type container, and shake it every so often so there is not a spot where it is touching the bottom of the container...)
3. After 2 hours or so (I've let it soak overnight, but did not see a significant difference) take out the blank and rise under running water for several minutes. Put the blank aside to dry. I let it dry for several days just to be sure...)
4. Put the blank back on the lathe and turn or sand to final size. Keep in mind that the bleach will not penetrate fully into the wood, so if you have to take off too much, you may turn away all of the bleaching, If that is the case, just repeat the bleaching process
5. Finish as desired.

I've had good results using Thin CA to seal the wood, then Medium CA to fill the pores, but it's worth noting that Wenge is a wood that does well without a finish, and I like it very much without one...

 

[raar25]

So why isnt the whole blank white?

 

[twinsen]

I've just used lots of coats of ca. mill the wood a little more than needed to make up for the extra glue you will put on.

 

[toddlajoie]

So why isnt the whole blank white?

Wenge has 2 significantly different densities of wood mixed together, darker colored dense veins and lighter colored softer veins. The bleaching affects the ligher/softer areas quicker and easier than it does the darker/denser areas, so the light brown turns white(ish) rather quickly. It may be possible if you soak it for a LONG time to turn it completely white (I may have to try that... I think it might look interesting since the density difference would still be there...) but I've soaked it overnight in strait laundry bleach and it hasn't affected the darker areas that much... I know there are stronger bleaching agents out there, but I don't trust myself with dangerous chemicals and don't look good in a haz-mat suit