For the last few days I’ve been applying oil to the SET chassis. It now has four coats of oil, cured and buffed out. There’s only one decision left for the chassis.
First off, here is the finished purple heart chassis with the patina finish copper plates set in place.
This really starts to show the overall look of the amp. Back in January, in the post The SET Moves Forward, I had mentioned that after seeing the coper patina finish I was considering a more antique finish on the wood. This would mean buffing out some of the luster on this oil finish and applying a couple of coats of hard paste wax. But now I’m undecided.
Under some lights I really like the higher luster finish with the copper patina. Under others, I really think the antique finish would bring it all together. So I’m asking for opinions. Should I leave the wood with this high luster finish, or tone it down a little bit?
The oil really has to sit and cure for about a week before I make a decision so I have some time to contemplate the choices. There is still a little paint work to do on the other pieces. However, with the wood finish essentially complete, the paint work should go relatively quickly.
As always, question and comments are more than welcome.
I also quite like the glossy finish but if my initial vision was for a vintage look I would stick with the plan and hope it works out. I thought my shellac coated base would be more glossy, but has settled to a slightly dull finish. I managed to scratch the coating on the rear while doing some checks so will need to sand and apply a couple more coats.
Toning it down a bit would be my vote.
Among the furnishings I’ve built for my wife and the house, we both prefer the ones with non- shiny finishes. Why? Because the inevitable ding, scuff, etc. is not as noticeable and doesn’t require any “repair” efforts. However I can be contradictory and mention the EL84 amp with many many buffed coats of shellac (my favorite finish for non- vulnerable stuff). It looks pretty, but I’ve managed to place scuffs in various places.
I still vote for non- buffed.