New carved spoon - what kind of finish?

[cskipper]

Here's a spoon carved from Basswood.


You can see it better if you enlarge it. I didn't want to change the color because I wanted you to see it as white as it is. My last attempt at staining was pretty disastrous. I'd appreciate suggestions about how to finish it.

 

[rbdoby]

Cathy,

I really like your spoon. Nice balance to the design.

In my experience I would stay away from oil based finishes if you want the wood to stay as light as possible. Try a water based poly. They don't seem to darken the wood as much as oil based. I really like General Finishes High Performance, their Polyacrylic does well too.

If you plan to actually use the spoon try mineral oil. Let us know what you end up using.

Rick Doby

 

[PeteM]

I like Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray. It doesn't darken the wood.
I've also sealed with shellac and applied a glaze to "antique" it.

http://www.bindersart.com/ProductDe...tegoryID=96ccfc40-9edb-49ae-8a48-6d3b4fa2c7a3

 

[nelsone]

That's really nice!

 

[ptt49er]

No advise on finishing...but Cathy that spoon is BEAUTIFUL! Nice work!!!

 

[cskipper]

I do want to add some color, just not a lot. I think it will highlight the characteristics of the spoon. It will not be used as an utensil. And Pete - I did not do anything to the back except soften the edges, and finish the bowl of the spoon.

 

[DavidF]

Wow! that's amazing!, nice job.