Check out this short video.
http://thewoodwhisperer.com/episode-32-pop-goes-the-maple/
Wetting wood with water will pop figure/ grain in a piece of wood. Water also raises fibers we sand off, leaving wood same dull color when dry. Wiping varnish (oil- varnish mix) will pop grain and add dull sheen to wood because dries hard. Oil varnish blends pop the grain too, but dry soft and sheen soon fades. It can be said of shellac oil/wax finishes too.
You can tint almost all thinned oil water base clear topcoat finishes and pop figure/grain. Some species of wood do not need to dye, clear finish absorbed by wood enhances existing figure/grain. Only water base dye I like is black India ink, which is opaque. Have had better luck with Trans tint dyes mixed with finish, forget mixing with water or alcohol.
If you put CA, glue on wood first per instruction below applying oil will not pop the figure/ grain because CA acts as a sealer. Many folks that apply oil first to pop the grain end up with problems. You have to let oil soak in and dry before applying CA.
So many variations on applying CA finish if what you are doing works stick with it.
CA Glue As A Finish
Michael Dresdner describes a unique method for using cyanoacrylate (CA) glue as a finish on his website,
www.michaeldresdner.com. This finishing requires a slow acting CA glue, and the slower the better. Most of the "thick" varieties with a cure time of 1-minute will work. The application of the finish is quick and simple, and takes about as long as it takes the CA glue to cure. Using a faster glue requires a faster reaction on our part and increases the risk of permanently attaching the pen barrel to the mandrel (a risk whenever using CA glue on a pen)
1. Sand the pen to at least 600-grit, and wipe it clean with a clean paper towel.
2. Apply a liberal coat of the "Thick" CA Glue. Make sure it is a uniform coat that covers the entire pen.
3. Immediately apply a liberal coat of Boiled Linseed Oil.
4. Increase the lathe speed and buff the finish with the wet rag that was used to apply the Linseed Oil.
5. When the danger of slinging the finish in your face has passed, increase the lathe speed to as fast as it will go, and buff the finish with a clean towel until it is dry.
The result will be a awesome gloss that will last longer than anything else that you can put on the wood. However, like all good things, there is a price to pay for the gloss and durability. This is a CA glue finish and it will have the appearance of being a plastic, and it will wear like a plastic rather than like a wood. The gloss finish on a plastic will become dull from the tiny scratches that are made on its surface from use and wear, while wood has the unique ability to take on a more polished patina when exposed to the same conditions.
Figured maple (curly, birdseye, or quilted) is a good example. It has lots of depth but its subtle, almost uniform color can leave the character hidden. Here are two simple ways to show it off to its best.
Boiled linseed oil is the simplest–and one of the most effective–tools to pop the figure. Slather the raw wood liberally, let the oil soak in for about 10 minutes, then wipe off all the excess. Let it dry overnight, and repeat the process if you like. The oil will add translucence and depth (called "chatoyance" in finishing parlance) without changing the color too much. Once the oil is dried overnight, seal it and finish it. If you are using a waterborne topcoat, it is wise to seal it first with dewaxed shellac. For lacquer or oil based coatings, the sealer coat is not needed.
A light stain will also add contrast to the figure. I like to use a very dilute water soluble dye in a moderately dark color. Flood it on, wipe it all off while it is still wet. Scrub with clear water and Scotchbrite® to make sure all of the excess is removed. You can even sand lightly once the wood dries to add more contrast. This will add a bit more color to the wood than the oil would, and will make the contrast in the figure or birdseyes even more dramatic.