Australian timber oil if you want to keep the natural color and character of the wood. any type of sealer you put on it will darken it. if you're fortunate enough to have some scraps around try it on those first to make sure you like it.
if you're looking for a gloss finish, use spar varnish.
STAY AWAY FROM POLYURETHANE. most urethanes are for interior wood floors. if they get used outdoors they'll turn white and fall off the wood in less than a year.

and yes, very nice job on the woodwork.

here's a link to some of the work we do at our shop:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/s ... w/14666189

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Thanks Frankie. I have a few bits left over for samples. The problem seems to be a possible blotchiness in the stain owing to the properties, (oily) of the yellow cedar. It might be hard to tell with just my small samples, so it would be great to hear some success stories WITH yellow cedar. I'll see how my samples turn out. Maybe I'll find something that looks good enough to give me the confidence in it. I'd really hate to screw it up!

I mean, if I did, I could always just paint it!

Oh, and the spar varnish? As much as that might look nice, I can't imagine ever having to sand varnish off that sculpture as part of a future maintenance project. So I'm sticking with a stain for now.

Cheers,
Gridlok

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Thanks Mike - really good info. Yellow cedar in particular can be pretty sketchy and I can see spots where I'm sure it would turn blotchy. I talked to a rather obnoxious, know-it-all guy who sells the wood conditioner and am off to buy some from him.

The good thing is, he says it doesn't have to be sanded again after the conditioner. We'll see about that! (Sanding that moon is a pretty monstrous job.)

Gridlok (aka: "Clint")

Well, it's been over two weeks. I'm home with bronchitis, on antibiotics, and feel like crap! The door however, (after quite a learning curve), is in. I have always had a highly skilled paint department behind me and therefore my knowledge of finishing has been lacking. In the past two weeks I have learned many things, one of which is: don't put on a finish in a cold environment like my garage which is unheated and around 0 degrees C. I brought the door into my basement and sanded the whole thing, (again). Then I applied a neutral stain just to make the grain "pop" a bit. Like this:



I had previously put on a wood conditioner, (advice found on the Fender Forum - thanks Mike). Now for the hardware - it finally came in! After all my hard work, you can see the nervousness on my face. This is NOT something I wanted to screw up!




After seeing these pictures I immediately went out and got my hair cut. Then I installed the glass.



I used my crappy old tablesaw to cut the stop, but with a piece of yellow cedar for the fence so it wouldn't mar the finish on the (previously finished) glass stop.

So, the door is finished. Will it fit?



It fit perfectly!! I couldn't belive it. I didn't have to so much as pad a hinge!! Oh happy day!!! This is from the inside.



Hope you enjoy the pics. I have developed a headache and am going to lie down now.

Gridlok (The ill)

Looks great Grid..........Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Great job Gridlock, the color is very nice and I hope you feel better.

Looks good mate! Small tip: get the inside of the door sealed too, asap. Moisture in the air might force the open pores to swell up and the whole door might bulge.
(Excuse if you already did that, which obviates the advice, but on the pic shot from the inside it looks as if it's still raw wood)

Cheers! Well done! Looks very nice!

(again, sorry if I pointed out the obvious...! )

Nutter

Good eye Nutter! The door is actually a slightly different color on the interior. After sanding off my first coat, I decided not to stain (again) the inside. I really liked the blonde color and it brightened up what was a bit of a dark hallway, (which was one of the reasons for the bottom light). Yes, it is well sealed - both sides. I have seen doors and other big, flat objects do a major warp from being painted only on one side. The stain is so neutral, I did a double coat on the carving to bring it out a bit more. It's barely noticeable in these pics but shows up in the crevices of the face.

Cheers, Gridlok

Ah, that explains it! Nice job! It may of course darken a bit over time, but that's expectable even with a stain.
Great work Gridlok, well done!

Cheers

Nutter

Hi gridlok: I love the door, I love the finish, I love seeing it fitted - but most of all I love that photo! That is so expressive - we have ALL been there!

Anyhow, kudos to you. Fabulous job and really fun to watch it in real time. Truly inspiring. Congrats and thank you!

Get well soon - C

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Exquisite job Gridlok,you can pat youself on the back for sure.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Thank you all so much!!! I am truly humbled by your praise.

Although, with any luck, I can build a few more for others, THIS ONE was absolutely a labour of love!!

Peace, Gridlok

I like pie does that count?

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I LIKE PIE!!!!!

IF I DO SOMETHING STUPID,DON'T SAY A WORD...