Rosewood box

[GPA61]

Excellent work, Gary. Those inlays are great.

[gerti]

Beautiful! And thanks for describing the inlay process. I got to try that!

[bigstick509]

Very Nice

[MilDoc]

Really nice work! Haven't tried inlays yet, waiting for cooler weather, but hope mine turn out as nice!

[John Hunter]

Very nice.

[Mrs. Wallnut]

That is very nice. I am sure she will love it. Beautuful inlay work. One of these days I am going to have to try something like that.

[Wood_workur]

those inlays are nice

[Angry4Wood]

That's beautiful Gary!

If you don't mind me asking...what did you do with the inside?

One of my projects I need to do at some point is make a jewelry box, so I am curious.

[lcm1947]

Good Lord that is simply beautiful. That finish is- well it's beautiful. How in the world does one get a finish like that? I'd love to know.

[gjbivin]

Good Lord that is simply beautiful. That finish is- well it's beautiful. How in the world does one get a finish like that? I'd love to know.

Finishing is not my favorite part of the project (is it anybody's?). I don't have any advanced techniques -- everything I used has been described many times here before.

This is the first time I've tried a "long oil" varnish mixture - equal amounts of boiled linseed oil, poly (I use Minwax), and mineral spirits. This makes a thin "wipe on" mixture that I applied with a folded white shop rag.

I gave each layer a day to dry; actually it baked on in my 110-degree garage. Then I lightly sanded with #220 grit before applying the next layer. On this box, I put on two coats of this mixture.

Then, on the theory that the two coats I had put on had pretty well sealed the wood and oil wouldn't penetrate it any more, I switched to a 1:1 mixture of poly and mineral oil, which has been my usual finish. Again, it can be applied with a folded cloth (I often cheat and use a folded paper towel, and haven't noticed trouble with shedding, at least with Bounty towels). Three more coats of this thin mixture, a day and light sanding between each.

On the last coat, instead of sanding, I used a hint I had read and rubbed it with a piece of brown paper bag. This got the few "nubs" that were left but didn't scratch the surface appreciably.

On something like a box, maybe the first two coats would have been good enough. But I elected to give it the extra protection.

Some people would finish up by "rubbing out" and/or maybe putting on a coat of wax. I didn't bother, as it looked pretty good the way it was.