Different finishes on the same piece

[Bob Hodge]

I am experimenting with different finishes on the same piece of turning, and now in furniture.

Example - the outside of a bowl may have one sheen, the inside another, using the same product, but rubbed out differently.

I have tried putting a paper doily on a piece to spray a final coat of a satin poly pattern over a piece with high gloss or semigloss. A subtle

difference.  So far, my doily trick is not working well, but I will experiment more. 

 

Have you done pieces with different finishes on the same piece, either for durability or a slight aesthetic contrast? 

 

Moving to a walnut kitchen table, I have put danish oil on  everything, then a lot of coats of poly on both sides of the top.

The legs have only the danish oil on them.  The subtle contrast is interesting to me.  

 

Only I, or the lady in the house, can determine if we like the look.

 

My question is whether danish oil only is suitable for the legs of this table. It would be easy to touch up later, but will

that hold up at all?  

[lew]

I haven't tried different sheens/finishes on the inside/outside of a turning. I know @Gerald uses dyes/paints on some of his work. Maybe he will have some tips. @kmealy is our resident furniture finishing expert. He should have some thoughts on the Danish Oil.

[John Morris]

Bob, just wanted to drop in here and say a big THANK YOU for using our "tags" feature in your topic, thanks sir!

[kmealy]

I can't recall that I ever have done this.  But before they went out of business one of my customers carried a lot of furniture like tables with a very high sheen top and just whatever on the legs and aprons.  FWIW, super high gloss is a pain.  I'd take me about 3 or 4 different polishing compounds, used in order and with a rotary buffer to get the top looking good.  And it was very fragile, just sliding something across it might scuff it up.  

 

Back when I was still learning woodworking, Danish Oil was one of my go-to finishes.  I'd mix in varnish with it to give it more film-forming.  Eventually, Bob Flexner's book came out and opened my eyes and options.  Then I got into the business and had training in touch up and refinishing.  Now I use a variety of  finishes depending  on need, looks, and intended usage.  Shellac, lacquer, linseed oil, several types  oil-based varnishes (poly, non-poly, and phenolic), and water-borne finishes are all in my portfolio.

[Gerald]

I have not used DO on furniture as it seems to me would collect dust. I have used it on a shop cabinet and it just does not shed dust easily. If you want contrasts on furniture you could go with 100% tung oil (requires many coats as in 8+). Also different polys as in Gloss, Semi Gloss , and Satin. Lacquer is what manufacturers mostly use as it is easy to apply, fast drying and repairable. 

 

Note the danish oil may be ok for a living room or bedroom table as it is not likely to get wet.

 

Now more direct to combining finishes in turnings. I have done spirit dye, Acrylic paint , and Guilding Wax in one piece with lacquer finish but not separate finishes in different areas. If you want to do that then each area should be divided by burn lines or vee cuts.