Finishing redwood burl

[Charlie Goodrich]

I just completed turning a platter from redwood burl. The grain has a lot of swirl and some birdseye and looks great, but it has me a bit stumped on the type of finish to apply. I’ve tried a few of my usual suspects on sample pieces – watco only, wiping poly only, watco/poly mix, even lacquer only. But the widely varying wide/thin grain finishes splotchy with very dark spots, think pine on steroids. I even tried some shellac, then watco/poly mix.

I’ve got a lot to learn here – what are your thoughts on best finish for this piece?

Thanks in advance. And happy holidays.