When I last talked about the stick chair a month ago, the first coats of oil had just been applied. It has now been in my living room and in regular use for a few weeks. Apologies for the lack of diversion posts recently. I’m in the middle of buying/selling a house, and its eating a lot of my time. Posts will probably be patchy for a while.

So how did completing the stick chair go? It got another 4 coats of peacock oil before I was happy. How do I tell when I’m happy? When I put a coat on, let it dry, and I don’t like how it looks any better than the last coat I put on. It helps to take photos after every coat. The 4 coats were applied one every 24 to 48 hours. You only need wait about 8, but that’s as frequently as I had time to do it. Then I let it sit for a week to cure. It also got a light sanding with 320 grit paper after every coat (except for the last).

After that, its time to put on wax. I mentioned before that my favourite thing to apply finish with is white non-woven abrasive. The white is not actually abrasive. I had run out and ordered what will probably be a few years worth from Odie’s Oil. You can take a piece you used, pop it in a freezer bag, and it will still be good to use when it comes time to apply the next coat. So a very small piece can finish an entire project. While shopping I noticed they also sold Terry Towelling polishing cloths. Out of curiosity I ordered a pack of 5 to try out.

With the oil cured, and my white pads and new polishing cloths its time to apply wax. I’m fond of Alfieshine. It adds a bit of gloss to the finish. Smells amazing, and its held up very well after years of daily use on my kids stools. I have yet to reapply wax to any of them, and they still have a wonderful shine to them.

It is a simple process. I cut about an inch square off a white pad. Alfieshine is pretty hard. But also you need to do is swirl the chunk of pad on top of it in a circle. The heat generated by the friction softens the wax, and it gets impregnated into the pad. Alfie shine tins are small. People used to other wax finishes often thing its far too small. A little Alfieshine goes a very long way. Spread it thin and as far as you can. It wont go that far at first as the pad loads. Once its fully loaded, you can cover a surprisingly large surface. If you run your finger over a waxed surface and you can see the mark left in the wax, you have more than enough on it. Waxing is easier and more forgiving than oiling. Its not a problem to have too much on. And if you put too little on, the next coat will take care of that.

I cover every surface. Let it sit for an hour, and then buffed it with one of the terry cloths. Nothing special about terry cloth. Paper towels, rags, whatever. They will all do. I did like the terry cloth. It left no lint and did not tear. After buffing. I let it sit and cure overnight before applying another coat. 3 coats later, I like what I saw. Then I left the chair in my workshop for a week to make sure it fully hardened before bringing it into the house. Finishing complete.

I’m fond of the chair. It sits in a corner in the living room right now, and I’ll often sit here to read for a few minutes, or check messages on my phone. Its comfy, light, and nice to look at. If you are considering building a stick chair, I recommend getting stuck in. Its a far more forgiving project than you might think. I can spot where drilling angles are a little off and other minor mistakes, but it all came together in the end. No one part of the chair, with the exception of the seat, takes that much time to build. You can break a stick or mess up a leg, and just make another one and go again. A lot of people are scared of non right angle woodworking. I think its actually more forgiving. When its not a right angle, no one knows exactly what angle you were actually trying for!

stickchair A pad of white non woven abrasive. Which contains no actual abrasive. stickchair This about how much I cut off to apply finish on something tricky like the chair, I wouldn’t go a whole lot bigger on something flat. A whole sheet would just be to save time on something like a table top. stickchair Alfieshine. My preferred wax (not that I have used many). The smell is heavenly. They do a non scented version, but I have no idea what kind of heathen wants it. stickchair Not a new tin, its already been used on a few projects. Its a pretty hard wax in the tin. stickchair Just swirl the pad on it a few times, and it starts to load nicely. stickchair A little goes a long way. The same tin after the chair has recieved 3 coats. stickchair See the visible thick streak of wax? If you can see that, you have not spread it enough yet. stickchair My package of pads and terry cloths from Odie’s oil. The cloths are substantial. stickchair The completed chair. stickchair I like a glossy seat finish stickchair I’m particularly fond of how the oak top of the arm bow came out.