Test fit of the Jennifer clock

[sawdustus]

Good Grief!!!! That is fantastic work. I don't have the patience for that much symmetrical scrolling. Please keep it up.

Sawdustus

[Barefoot1]

King,

When I finish a fret work clock I do my finish prior to assembly or you will not get all of the intricate inside areas. What I do is take a paint roller tray and a liner, dump a half can or so of Danish oil into it and submerge the pieces into it one or two at a time, sometimes more depending on the size. If they are large you can lay them down and rock the pan like you are panning for gold. I leave them soaking for a few minutes and lift them out and wipe with a soft cloth (cut up t-shirt - fold it though so no cut edges of the shirt are visible so you do not leave little bits of cotton) Then I set them down on a table covered in brown painters paper, wiping them down with a clean cloth every 30 minutes or so on both sides about 6 times or until the finish looks even, the brown paper will pull excess oil out of the very fine areas. I repeat this entire process 4 or 5 times. It is time consuming but worth the effort as all surfaces are evenly coated, no 'white' spots. When complete (I allow 4 days drying time) I use 0000 steel wool to LIGHTLY polish. Prior to assembly I use a shop vac with a brush attachment to remove any fibers from the steel wool that may have been left behind and then inspect under a lighted magnifier and tiny tweezers to get anything the vac may have missed. When polishing I cannot emphasize enough the need to be very careful not to snag the steel wool on the delicate pieces, hence lightly and carefully always paying attention to the curve of the cuts and any sharp edges. I then assemble with rhino glue.
There are different methods and I am sure you will get other suggestions but this has worked very well for me in the past. A clock that I finished like this won best of show in the state fair and I know that finish is part of the judging.

What ever method you use, take your time, you have put hours of time cutting it and the finish will really highlight all of the excellent cutting you are obviously doing. You can see examples of this finish at Barefoot WoodworksPhoto Album The Grover Irish clock done in Cherry and Walnut is the one I am referring to.

[warren59]

Jeff,
This is a month late but you can finish it after you get it together. You need an air brush to be able to spray into and around everything. I used Deft semigloss.
Warren

[Powakee]

That's looking very nice. You must be spending some serious time on that one.

John

[Barefoot1]

So is this clock done now??

[USMC1126]

Almost, I ended up deciding to use BLO, so I dipped all of the pieces in that and let them dry for about a week. As a topcoat I am using watco gloss lacquer, I tried a whole bunch of different combinations before I decided to go this way on scrap pieces of wood. So I am applying 2 thick coats of lacquer with a very small brush so it doesnt run into all of the frets to each piece then let dry over night, sand them back down almost to the wood and reapplying another thick coat of lacquer. This was the only way I could get the mahogany nice and smooth and fill in all of the pores. I tried wood filler and it filled them in very nicely but it also changed the color of the wood, not much but it took the reddish tints away. So now I have all of the pieces done except for the main supports and the base which I am going to work on now, hopefully it will be completed on Friday. I am still waiting for an insert for it, I got a 4" one from wildwood but when i received it and put it in it just didnt look right, so now the second one I ordered has been on backorder for three weeks. But the one will work for now I guess. More pics coming soon.

King

[minowevie]

King, I just can't wait, I know it is going to be just grand, you sure have put alot of love and time into this . I can't wait to see the end result. I love this clock , and it is on my list of which one of my pattens to do next. my shop is almost finished. so soon I hope. this clock is one of my favorits. have you read John Nealsons articale on how he came buy it? What I read was he got it at a action, in pieces. and He then had to take it home and recreate it buy what he had. I think He did a fantactic job. and what a contrabution, that He shars it with us, don't you think. can't wait to see your version. impaitchantly waiting. your friend Evie