Best all-around finish?

[Phil S]

Intersting about Vesting oil and UV light. I wonder if this might be the less life threatening "magic ageing for cherry" that invoked all sorts of arcane chemistry and poisonous solutions in another posting. Perhaps use the UV light until the cherry is the color you are after, sort of like fuming oak with ammonia.

Perhaps we can all breathe easier now.
Tone

Intersting about Vesting oil and UV light. I wonder if this might be the less life threatening "magic ageing for cherry" that invoked all sorts of arcane chemistry and poisonous solutions in another posting. Perhaps use the UV light until the cherry is the color you are after, sort of like fuming oak with ammonia.

Perhaps we can all breathe easier now.
Tone

I have darkrned cherry very quickly with a simple black light i bought at a guitar shop
It has been a while so details are fuzzy

 

[ChemE75]

I never limit myself to one finish, rather pick one appropriate for the end use. A kitchen table sees a significant different service condition than a decorative vase. My most frequent finish is watco. If I want a similar look but maybe more gloss and a bit of buildup, I’ve found tru-oil to be a good option. It was designed to be used for rifle stocks, gun handles, etc. I learned of it from a luthier. He eventually came up with his own blend that I gather is made by blending varnish, tung oil and thinner. For other projects that I want a water white, water resistant clear coat, poly acrylic has proven to be decent. For your projects, consider some experimenting to find your favorites. For oil finishes I agree with those who recommend wet sanding. I often wet sand my initial oil with 320 or 400. Later on I started using some ultra fine micro mesh sample I got from 3m, best I can tell it’s like 1000-4000 grit wet/dry.

 

[bob vaughan]

I think the bottom like is that the best finish for wood is bark. Everything else is a chemical compromise.