walnut jewelry box finish/help????

[greg sofranko]

greetings,
i've read some posts about what is the best way to make the grain stand out in a walnut project. i'm on the tail end of a jewelry box for my wife's Christmas present and wanted to know the best steps/finishes to use. i'm on somewhat of a budget and was hoping someone could recommend what to use from woodcraft.com - they are my closet store i can buy any finishes at besides home depot.
http://www.woodcraft.com/depts.aspx?pd=1042&deptid=1042 here is the link to their list of finishes. any ideas of where to start.
i've never done a shellac finish, but i catch on real quick and don't think it will be a problem. thanks in advance for any suggestions. - i would like to have the grain really stand out.
thanks,
greg

[Darrin Davis]

1st coat - Seal-A-Cell
2nd through 5th Coat - Arm-R-Seal

This is what Davis Marks uses on the DIY show woodworks and it is very easy to use. It looks great and make the grain pop. You can buy it at Woodcraft. The can gives the instructions but you can also find easy plans at David's website. Just type in www.djmarks.com (http://www.djmarks.com) and find his FAQS page. The question that is answered is "What is the mix ratio for the Linseed Oil, Tung Oil, and Urethane? (http://www.djmarks.com/stories/faq/What_is_the_mix_ratio_for_the_Linseed_Oil_Tung_Oil _and_Urethane_46687.asp)" This is where he explains how he applies it. He says to use gloss for the first two coats after the sealer but you can do whatever you want here. I always just go straight to semi-gloss (my personal preference). Hope this helps. Its the foolproof perfect finish.

[Guy Germaine]

This walnut box was finished with a couple of coats of #1 cut of Zinsser Seal Coat (De-waxed shellac) as a sealer, wet sanded with 400 grit and mineral spirits, then several coats of Deft laquer from a can. Fairly simple to do and nice results.

http://www.fototime.com/F5489190AE7F933/standard.jpg

[jeremy levine]

For the budget minded , BLO ( diluted with spirits , then some undiluted ) and wax. Pretty much what Thos. Moser does ( in one of his boot he talks about heating the LO, ..... I think not )