azamiryou
Member
I've heard of leaving ebony unfinished, just polishing and burnishing it to get that wonderful ebony look.
Any other woods that work well for this treatment?
Any other woods that work well for this treatment?
Woods that don't need a finish
- Thread starter azamiryou
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jj9ball
Member
I've done the same thing with lignum vitae. It looks awesome! I've done that with cherry in the hopes that the wood would darken and patina, but it didn't hold up as well as the lignum. If you're looking to try one other kind of wood unfinished I would go with lignum. It is so oily that its almost indistructible and if you sand up above 1000 grit it takes an amazing polish.
ghostrider
Member
Yep.
Lignum Viitae was used as bearings for propeller shafts on ships. Lignum Vitae is protected and difficult to get. Lignum Vitae Argintine (which is actually not in the same family) has similar properties to true Lignum Vitae and is easier to get.
1080Wayne
Member
I personally don`t put a finish on olive , but I suspect many do .
OOPS
Member
I suspect you will get numerous answers and some that contradict. Two that come to mind are Tambotti (often spelled Tambooti or Tamboti) and African Blackwood. Some people do not finish Cocobolo either.
plantman
Member
Any of the woods labeled Iron Wood usualy do not need a finish and polish up nicely. I use these for the soles of hand planes I make. Jim S
azamiryou
Member
How about bog oak? I can imagine the appeal of directly handling something so ancient, but does it hold up and stay looking nice?
yorkie
Member
Ogg
Member
I use to never use a finish on either African Blackwood or Cocobolo....I use to sand them down to about 1200 grit and then polish using some light rouges. They would take on a fantastic polish and hold it for years. Seems like these very dense woods can take a great polish.
Keep in mind that the finish didn't have a CA style shine to it, but the wood looked great polished and didn't seem to show fingerprints like a super shiny finish can. It was a great finish for daily use.
plantman
Member
:wink::wink: A CA finish is the wood being seen through a plactic overcoat. Many not so shiny woods can be improved this way. A polished finish is the wood itself showing off it's own beauty. That's why we invented makeup, to bring out the natural beauty not otherwise seen, or to hide something that we don't want seen. A naturaly polished surface, like human skin, needs to be renurshed and clensed every now and then. Jim S
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Randy Simmons
Member
African blackwood, certainly, and probably cocobolo. Amboyna as well, assuming you sanded it high enough. I have also had great success with antler and horn of various types.
alamocdc
Member
I've done it with Lignum Vitae, Cocobolo, Olive wood and Goncalo Alves. And they have all held up even after 7 or 8 years. I suspect just about any of the rose woods would fair almost as well. Teak should also do well since it too is an oily wood. Mesquite has the density to hold up, but it can gray on you if you just leave it exposed to UV. It should pick up enough oil from use to be okay, but I haven't tried it yet.
Of course there are those who will say that all of this is sacrilege.
Of course there are those who will say that all of this is sacrilege.
talbot
Member
Pretty much any hardwood will respond to just being sanded and buffed.
A wipe with a light oil first gives added depth to these woods and really shows the character of the piece,
talbot
A wipe with a light oil first gives added depth to these woods and really shows the character of the piece,
talbot
rherrell
Member
I feel that anything that will be handled alot needs a finish. I put a CA finish on ALL of my pens but an oil finish is fine for something that will sit on a shelf.