Need advice on finishing ziricote

[Hasin Haroon]

Hi all. I just completed a mallet using ipe for the head and some beautiful ziricote for the handle. This being the first time I've worked with ziricote, I used BLO to finish the mallet, and now the ziricote has darkened, making the grain hardly visible.

What do you recommend for finishing ziricote to maintain the natural look, and can I sand down the handle with a fine grit to bring the grain back out (can't sand down too much or the handle will be loose)?

Thanks in advance!

[David Pascoe]

Use a water-base finish: there will be NO color change with it and will only darken slightly as any kind of finish will.