Fiddes Ultra-Raw hardwax oil
From top and side by side: samples of Victorian ash, rock maple and American white oak, untreated and finished in Fiddes Ultra Raw.
Review: Damion Fauser
One of the most common questions I get from students and commission clients is ‘can you stop this pale wood from yellowing under the finish?’, so I was very interested to see this offering from Fiddes Australia.
Recommended primarily for paler timber species, this product has a whitening pigment that is designed to reduce colour changes, yielding a dead-matt natural finish that aims to emulate raw, or untreated wood.
I dressed some boards of Victorian ash, American white oak and rock maple and sanded them to 180 grit, and then cut each board in half to retain an original, or control section of each species. I applied two coats to each species, approximately 24 hours apart and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
I was suitably impressed with the results, and as you can see in the image above, there is very little difference between the polished and the original untreated surfaces of each species.
After around eight weeks had elapsed from first applying this finish, I re-examined these boards against the raw control surfaces and can report that it was most successful on the American white oak, with very little change in appearance to the raw, untreated surface. The Victorian ash was also quite successful. Some very slight yellowing was evident on the rock maple.
The Fiddes website notes that due to the whitening pigment, if planning to this product on darker species, or over other stains, a test on a sample is strongly recommended.
This product is available direct from Fiddes Australia and comes in a range of sizes including 250mL, 1L and 2.5L, with the 250mL can costing $42. It performs as intended, so if you’re looking to retain the natural appearance of your paler woods, this product will be well worth investigating.
Review sample provided by Fiddes Australia, see www.fiddesaustralia.com
Damion Fauser @damionfauser is a furniture designer maker and woodwork teacher in Brisbane and a regular contributor to Australian Wood Review. Learn more at http://damionfauser.com/