Best finish to preserve spectacular grain?

[ian]

Meant to post this with / without (on left) photo earlier.
The finish is polymerised tung oil on hard maple

[Ubernoob]

Looks pretty good, are you happy with how it turned out?

I have a similar pickle but with contrasting timbers, I have only rough sanded this and put two quick coats of Danish Oil on the end and two coats of wipe on poly next to it. I have also used wax on a test piece and I really want something between the two finishes, the wax retains the nice white colour of the Cypress but doesn't make the Blackwood look all that flash.

R0248596.jpg

[ian]

Yeah, I'm happy with how the Tung Oil turned out.
All up I used a sealer coat plus two top coats applied over successive days.

[truckjohn]

For popping the sheer beauty of the wood - its hard to beat either high gloss nitrocellulose lacquer or a plain old fashioned interior grade short oil varnish like Waterlox.

If you dont spray - I would go with a quality brushing short oil interior varnish. Its hard to find another finish that pops the grain like a high quality varnish.

[AngelaPetruzzi]

If you haven't tried the oil Denque, try on an off cut. The Ardvos universal wood oil has less waxes and resins than either of the Kunos oils and will penetrate deeper, which may give you the look you are after. If sheen level is what you are after, I don't think one can beat the countertop oil.

I suppose that is the nice thing with these forums, all have their favorite coatings and procedures. It would be nice if time permitted the testing of all

[woodPixel]

Maybe Livos can make up some little sampler pots, a full kit of all products purchasable as a kit? One for each oil type, with 50ml in each.

By pots, I mean little bottles with screw on lids.

[cava]

[AngelaPetruzzi]

woodPixel
All the Livos products come in sample pot size of 0.05 ml in glass jars with screw on lids. We don't have them in a kit as such as there are quite a number of products and stains but all are obtainable. These sample pot sizes are often enough to finish off small projects but they do come in handy if one is to do a large project such as a floor in a particular stain that one has the option to try it out first.

We are though working on Table Furniture kits. These will contain not only 2 sample pots but also everything required to rejuvenate or repair an existing surface.

[Big Shed]

woodPixel
All the Livos products come in sample pot size of 0.05 ml in glass jars with screw on lids.

For that quantity I would have thought you'd supply them in a pipette!

[ian]

more likely a micro syringe !

[P.W.H.]

Yeah, I'm happy with how the Tung Oil turned out.
All up I used a sealer coat plus two top coats applied over successive days.

I like my tung oil as well. I use raw tung, start with a mix that's maybe 30% - 40% vegetable turps, then go more and more pure with successive coats. Gives a beautiful sheen and depth on saligna and on tassie blackwood that I can vouch for. Also pilularis. It's a hell of a lot more water-repellent than shellac (which also looks beautiful) French Polish! lots of elbow grease in the latter.

Nice to see that maple sample since I'll build my kitchen with birch ply and maple or white ash trims in the coming months.

I've found, however, that tung oil tends to change dark woods to a darker shade.

[AngelaPetruzzi]

Oppps...meant 0.05 of a litre..good pick up guys...its even more than a shot glass.(and if it wasnt for the wax..you could probably drink it).