Finishing indoor Ironbark

[Jazzys]

Hi guys, first post so please be gentle :-)

I have some quite old ironbark that came from the Brisbane botanical gardens mangrove boardwalk.
I'm planning on making a couple of small bedside tables with it.

It's weathered, walked on and fairly beaten but i like the look.

My question is what should i finish it with. I don't really want a plasticky varnish kind of look if possible.
I was thinking more along the lines of oil or beeswax but have never done this before.

All advice most gratefully received.

Thanks

[brit]

tr wipe on poly satin and thin 10% with turps.

[ian]

It's perhaps best to leave the finishing decision till after you have built the tables.

If the weathered, walked on, beaten look is what attracts you, perhaps leaving the surfaces unfinished is the answer.

I guess you know that the wood is likely full of sand and dirt which will play merry hell and any cutting edge.

[Twist]

I have done a few similar things and found leaving it unfinished is often the best solution. If it has a lot of dirt and gritty stuff you could waterblast it and even wash it in some diluted bleach. Or wire-brushing gives a great effect.
You also want to make sure the ironbark hasn't been treated/soaked in any chemicals such as creosote.

I made some bedside tables out of old wharf timber (not ironbark) they are basically 300x300 cubes. I wire-brushed the sides and only finished the tops to bring out the grain where I had cut the pieces. Turned out great.

[Jazzys]

Yeah i think leaving them untouched is probably the way to go. They do look pretty cool as they are.
Might take a wire brush to them at some point though, shine em up a bit...

Cheers

[AngelaPetruzzi]

As they will be used in the bedroom, firstl make sure they are not treated with anything, then either leave them raw or treat them with a natural product. Any synthetic coatings would off gass and may play havoc on your health.
Ironbark can take a lot of beating..even untreated.

[Jazzys]

With the greatest of respect, how on earth do i find out if it's been treated with anything?

Thanks

[Nanigai]

I would think its untreated. They use it because its so tough in the first place.
Also can you imagine how much it could absorb, the grain is so tight it would not be much. (IMHO)

Cheers, Ian

[Twist]

Depends if they are recycled railway sleepers. My understand is ironbark railway sleepers were often treated with creosote which is nasty and can also leak once the wood is cut. Have a read of this post I found:
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f14/railway-sleepers-10321

[AngelaPetruzzi]

Good place to start is smell. If you put them in a closed room and there is an unpleasant smell...then it could be from a previous treatment.