finish advise requested

[Dennis Ford]

This vase form is Hickory; it is 8-1/2" tall x 8" dia. It has one coat of tung oil so far, I am not sure how much shine should be in the final finish. There are a couple of fair sized (~3/8") insect holes.

comments and critiques welcome

[Thomas Canfield]

Dennis,

I would buff with Tripoli and then apply several coats of my oil/poly mix (4danish oil/1 polyurethane varnish or equivalent). I brew my own lately, and the more poly gives more gloss, but then the Tripoli will dull the last coat prior to apply Renassiance Wax which will still leave a nice warm glow. A white diamond buff is supposed to give a higher shine, but I don't use the WD. Try the tripoli buff before going with the next coat whatever you use and see the piece warm up.

[David E Keller]

Nice looking piece, Dennis! I don't think I'd go too shiny on this piece... It's beautiful wood, so it doesn't need much finish. I like Thomas' idea of going to the buffer before doing anything else.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I would do a matte/satin finish. Maybe a coat or two more of tung oil.

[Kathy Marshall]

Ditto, I think it would look great with a satin finish. The form itself is very nice and the wood looks pretty cool too!

[Michelle Rich]

I think it looks super as it is..but danish oil /tung oil, buffed would be nice soft sheen.

[John Keeton]

Very nice form! Great growth ring pattern and I favor a very low sheen. Try the buffing first as suggested. It may just do the trick.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I use a high gloss on most of my stuff but I like this piece as is. So... another vote for a very low sheen finish! Nice form!

[Jon Nuckles]

I like a gloss on some pieces, but the grain on this seems to call out for a softer finish. I'd even think about wire brushing or sand blasting to emphasize that grain. Nice looking form, by the way.