Heirloom Woods

Staining

I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that I have separated staining and finishing into two distinct operations. I've done this because, contrary to what many may believe, staining is not a required part of the finishing process. All you really have to know about staining is that it is only done to make one species of wood look like another, match existing wood work , hide poorly matched wood grain, and to make a secondary wood, when used, look like the primary wood of the piece. Since I don't use secondary woods and hand select and match the grain as closely as possible the latter reasons aren't applicable and the only reason left is to match what ever style or color scheme exists in your home.

Finishing

Finishes can be grouped into two types and one hybrid; oil finishes, surface finishes, and Danish oil. None of the finishes mentioned here are toxic once they have been cured.

Oils are the oldest of finishes and ones your grandfather would have been familiar with, as would have been the ancient Egyptians. They provide little in the way of actual protection for the wood when compared with today's surface finishes but, in the appropriate circumstances, have the edge in that they are extremely easy to rejuvenate and will not, over a long period of time, start cracking and checking which can happen with a surface finish.

Oil finishes, tung oil from the tung nut, and boiled linseed oil, chemically altered oil from the flax plant seed,  are oils that are rubbed into the raw wood, let set for a bit while the wood cells soak some up, then the excess is wiped off and the surface left to cure. Depending on the type of wood this process may have to be repeated anywhere from three to eight times before a satisfactory level of finish that maintains the feel of the wood is obtained. These types of finishes do not build up on the surface of the wood and have a nice low sheen and a warm look. Oils also tend to bring out or "pop" the grain of the wood and can be used underneath a surface finish to enhance the grain.

Half way between the oils and the surface finishes is a concoction called Danish Oil. Either a home brew or commercially available concoction nominally made up of tung oil, some proprietary ingredients, and various types of resins. This finish maintains the low sheen, close to the wood, and warm look of a straight oil, while the resins provide some additional protection to the wood that a plain oil won't. All in all, if a low sheen warm look is desired this is the way to go.

Surface finishes; shellac, lacquer, and varnish, are just that, finishes that build up in layers on the surface of the wood. As such, they provide varying degrees of protection to the wood over and above that provided by the oil finishes.

Shellac, lacquer, and varnish provide a smooth shiny surface to the wood that varies in order of hardness and protection just as I listed them. For those that may be wondering, the weekend do it yourselfer's ever popular polyurethane is a varnish.  As the finishes rise in the hardness and scratch protection level so does the difficulty in applying and, when necessary, repairing them.

As applied out of the can these type of finishes tend to look plastic after application. When light strikes the top of a non rubbed out finish  it reflects from the surface of that finish, robbing the finish of any depth.  To bring out the real beauty of a finish and the wood it covers, surface  finishes should be "rubbed out". Rubbing out  is a process of hand polishing the finish's surface  with ever finer grits of abrasive until the scratch marks caused by the abrasives disappears to the eye and the light passes through the finish to reflect back from the wood. This gives the finish the look of depth akin to that found on a fine piano. A coat or two of an oil under the finish to "pop" the grain, as discussed above, also enhances this look.

To get a truly good rubbed out finish at least five coats should be applied and, in the case of open pored wood, i.e.: oak, mahogany, or walnut, a pore sealer has to be used to obtain a smooth surface with a minimum of fuss and use of excess finish.

Obviously this is a labor intensive job but well worth the effort if you wish a surface finish. It should also be noted that as the hardness and scratch resistance increases from finish type to finish type so grows the effort to rub out that finish.

Which finish? Unlike other furniture pieces that can be subject to a lot of wear in it's life time, and because of the rather narrow range of use a cradle gets, it lends itself nicely to just about any finish you would like. The only real choice you have to make is what look you would like and what you are willing to pay  to get that look. .

My advice -  if you want a low sheen, warm look that maintains the feel of the wood,  Danish oil is the way to go. If you want that deep, rich look a coat or two of oil, followed by a rubbed out surface finish of lacquer is recommended.  Either of these finishes will provide adequate protection for several generations of cradle users assuming normal use of the cradle and, at the same time, strike a reasonable balance in the cost department.

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