I am working on some jewelry boxes. Since I have three ladies and I dont dare do just one, it becomes a bigger project because everything is times 3. (now to be clear, two of these ladies are 11yo and 13yo respectively!).
And after throwing down well north of $200 for brass hinges, I guess I am all in on this project. These will not be what I would consider 'masterpieces' just due to the practical nature of the volume of the project, but they should be 'pretty nice' and something I would expect the recipients to all enjoy/appreciate for many many years.
So I have to decide on a finish. There are roughly 18 small drawers. Some panels. Casework. Nothing is large in size. But it all adds up. The 'go to' might be some form of BLO such as watco. Lots of sanding and rubbing on multiple coats. Given all these drawers and corners and small parts, this approach would be tedious. The woods are walnut, cherry, some lacewood, some figured maple.
Recently I tried Waterlox on a project and it came out well. But I have only used it once. My understanding is that it is a 'varnish'. Also I sometimes see Watco listed as a 'varnish', but more often as an 'oil'. I am not educated on these differences.
And I wouldnt mind trying a spray on vs wipe on, just to make it easier. This would mean proper sanding and prep work, and also clean spray area, but I do paint car and have sprayed wood finishes in the past so believe I can get that to work. I have used waterbased spray on finishes (Target) and definitely DO NOT want to use those for this project. I am looking for that traditional, deep finish that makes you want to touch/run your fingers over the wood.
Is there such an animal that sprays on? Or am I relegated to the hand rubbing of multiple coats?