Finishing a staircase

[Gretchen]

We have just finished stripping a 1890s yr old staircase balaustrade - handrail, spindles and also the strings.
We think it's oregon. It's a softwood. (Inner sydney terrace house).

We want to keep the natural wood look. It's beautiful old timber. and a hell of a lot of work to strip!

My partner wants to Feast watson floorshine it - which seems to me to be a bit too much like putting polyeurathane on it... sitting on the surface.

I want to use something that will bond with the timber and will create a silky smooth finish if I wet and dry it.

I've done this with Organoil Clear Finishing Oil on hardwoods with a lovely silky finish (and not too much work!) but not on softwoods.

I like the sound of Ubeaut but I can't get a lot of heat into the polishing as obviously I can't lathe it...

We're concerned about something like ubeaut that the handrail, with lots of hand contact will discolour quickly.

I've done a search - can't see anything to answer my dilemma... Can any one help?!

thanks,

[ubeaut]

Would have originally been finished with shellac (french polish) which obviously stood the test of time so why not go with what was originally on it. A few coats of shellac will bond with the timber and will create a brilliant silky smooth finish when you wet and dry it. Use EEE Ultra Shine over the top to give it the most sensual silky feel and look.

It should stand the test of time for another generation or two. Guarantee the oil won't and doubt the poly will either.

I would be inclined to use the floorshine on the stairs and the shellac on handrail, balustrade, spindles, etc.

[Gretchen]

Thanks very much for your reply!
my only concern with shellac is it might really change the colour of the timber ... which is very pale at present - and a golden colour when tested with oil...
cheers