How does this sound for finishing a cherry clock?

[JSpill]

I'm about to finish a cherry clock. My daughter is fine if the clock is unstained or very lightly stained. Here is the process I'm thinking of. Please feel free to offer suggestions, especially if I'm ignoring an important step.

1) Power and hand sand to 220 grit.
2) Apply Charles Neil's blotch control.
3) Hand sand to 400 grit following blotch control before using General Finishes water based dye/stain. If I use the dye/stain it will be either natural or a very light color. I'll see how it looks on a test piece.
4) I plan to use Waterlox as a finish. The first coat will be thinned with mineral spirits. Each succeeding coat will be applied full strength. I plan to hand sand each coat using 600 grit or 4xxx steel wool. I think four coats should be enough.
5) Finally, I'll apply a decent hand wax and lightly buff.

Well, that's the plan. For me finishing is the most difficult and least liked part of furniture making. Let me know if I omitted something or if there is an easier way to get a good result.

[MikeBob]

I have burnished oak sanding to 320 and it would not take an oil base stain to true color I wanted.
I would go 180 instead of 220.
Then go with 220 instead of 400.

[fredhargis]

I think I would wipe it down with MS first and see how it looks. If you like what you see, go straight to the varnish. I have to think that something like a clock isn't going to have the "blotch" look of a larger piece.

[JSpill]

I should have mentioned it is a grandfather clock, so there is enough material to show blotching. Thank you for suggesting I wipe it down with mineral spirits before applying blotch control. If this speeds up the finishing process I'm all for it.

[Bope]

Waterlox looks nice on cherry all by itself. You could skip the blotch control and stain.

[gboot]

I'm a big fan of Garnet Shellac on Cherry, it adds some color , pops the grain without blotching, easy to apply. On pieces that get some wear I topcoat with a water based poly like Endurovar. When I did my Cherry Grandfather clock,my finish schedule was.

1. Sand to 220
2. Wipe on 2lb cut Garnet Shellac.let dry 24 hrs
3 Light sand with 320 on block to get the fuzzies off.
4. 3 more coats Garnet Shellac no need to sand in between
5. Light paste wax application

[Paul K. Murphy]

I think you should not sand nearly so high. 400 grit!?
No way.
All the other stuff is okay, but in my view even 220 is high; okay, but high.
I also think you should sand with garnet. That's going to be hard to do, garnet isn't that common anymore. If you cannot sand with garnet, aluminum oxide will be second best. The danger there is that much of the AO out there is also married to ceramics, sold as composites, or at least it used to be. Don't sand wood with silicon carbide. Black or white (grey) sandpaper is not well suited to abrading wood.
Five years from now, when the Internet "discovers" this, it will be on the tip of everybody's tongue. It will take the place of closing the mouth of a plane, making a Roubo bench, and all the other crap that has woodworkers scrambling to be the coolest kid on the block.
Sorry, I'm a wee bit jaded.
Sand with garnet.

[AHill]

Garnet sandpaper is available from Klingspor

https://www.woodworkingshop.com/search.aspx?q=garnet

[cputnam]

I would leave it with Garnet Shellac

[Paul K. Murphy]

Glad to hear about online sources.
I may stock up/hoard.
Garnet is best for wood.