Popping Box Elder Burl Grain?

[Toby Bouder]

I have been roughing out some box elder burl bowls and I would like to know the best way to bring out the grain when I am ready to finish them. Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thanks. This is a small one, 5.5"w x 1.75"h.

[Roger Chandler]

Shellac........100% dewaxed as a sanding sealer........you can use BLO from what I have been told, but it darkens over time, so if you like it darkening then BLO will work, but shellac does the same only will pop the grain and you can finish in short order because the drying time is quick.

[Toby Bouder]

Shellac........100% dewaxed as a sanding sealer........you can use BLO from what I have been told, but it darkens over time, so if you like it darkening then BLO will work, but shellac does the same only will pop the grain and you can finish in short order because the drying time is quick.

Thanks Roger, I just put some shellac on a scrap piece and next to it I put some walnut oil. The walnut oil I think puts just a little more depth in the grain. I've never done any dyeing, I wonder how that would look.

[Curt Fuller]

BE burl is usually pretty blonde so one of the oils that has a rich amber color gives it some life. I've used Minwax Antique Oil for a few years but the Watco danish oil or even just plain old boiled linseed oil should give it a pretty good color.

[Jim Burr]

+1 with Curt...AO is great for grain popping. Many woods with faint or slight grain need a penetrating oil to soak in a coat fibers. AO is great at that...Tung Oil finish...not the real tung oil!!!!...is great to!

[Toby Bouder]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll go with some type of oil finish.

[robert baccus]

Poping the grain with the lightest oil you can find, works great and darkening can be almost eliminated by by a good film finish. All the oils seem to darken and dull with a few years exposure without sealing--tung oil changing the least.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Minwax Antique Oil works well with Box Elder pretty well.