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American blackwood finish?

Daniel, I have tried various finishes on AB, with no real success due to its oily density. As it is in the dahlbergia/rosewood family, it polishes up beautifully with its own oils. I recently finished an AB gear-shift knob for my son's Miata from one of those Woodcraft clarinet bell blanks, sanded to 3k, and it worked out beautifully.
 
For my small ornament finials/icicles (min. 1/8"Ø or less) I use small pieces of carnauba wax. About 20 yrs. ago I dropped my block of Beall wax on the concrete floor and it shattered like glass. All those little shards allow me to get into all the nooks & crannies of the finials. Crank up the lathe speed and directly rub the wax onto the work. For small work do small sections as you turn them to avoid flexing or breaking. Important - use a small piece of paper towel to buff - for safety! For larger more sturdy finials you can probably wax & buff all at once.
 
Lacquer and carnauba wax-two finishes I didn't try. Who knew? Thanks for the tips. I guess it depends on the application. No way wax would last long on a shift knob, especially in the summertime South in a black interior. I'm sure it's great on the decorative work. Always learning.
 
On the little Blackwood I have turned, I did not apply a finish. I just polished the wood and got a very satisfactory result.
 
I sanded mine to 800-grit, then Yorkshire grit, then Ren Wax. Fantastic result!
 
robo hippy said:
Kiwi neutral shoe wax is carnuba with some turpentine in it.

robo hippy
Click to expand...

Another product from down our way...:cool:

Here is a full list of the ingredients.... https://www.whatsinsidescjohnson.com/us/en/brands/KIWI/KIWI--Shoe-Polish-Neutral

Note: It does contain a very small amounts of PCBTF, which may be an issue if inhaled (especially if you are a rat). So, if you are using it a lot (as in duration of exposure) I would use ventilation or some form of VOC respiratory filtration. Once it hardens and stops gassing-off that won't be an issue. I also wear rubber gloves whenever I'm handling finishes that contain solvent, regardless of the ingredients.
 
I use just a bit of walnut or linseed oil. Gives a bit more pop, and in case the wood isn’t completely dry, keeps it from cracking.
I couldn’t imagine using a film finish. Seems you would have to work hard to get back to the finish you had with no finish.
 
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