What to apply over burnished wood

[knightyo]

As I've been toiling over my small Nina project, I've ended up basically burnishing the wood in numerous sections.  The rails for instance, are swiss pear, and in a "burnished" state really have a nice look.  Are there any recommendations regarding what to apply over burnished wood?  My Google searches have made it pretty clear that standard finishes are out as the pores of the wood are effectively sealed when the wood is burnished, which makes sense.  Has anyone experimented with applying any type of finish over burnished wood?

 

Alan

[mnl]

Renaissance Wax

[Jaager]

Alan,

 

Next time you might consider scraping instead.  There are specific tools for this, but a Gem single edge razor blade or the straight edge of a piece of broken glass will also do the job.  It leaves pores open that sanding will fill with junk.  Burnishing may be more effective at sealing pores, but that whole process sounds like a bad idea for a wooden ship model.

 

Prime the scraped surface with 1/2 strength shellac, then follow with as many coats of full strength shellac as it takes to get the depth and degree of gloss that meets your taste.  If it goes too far, 0000 steel wool or a Scotch Brite pad can be used to dull too much sheen.

 

I also suspect that Renaissance wax will provide a finish layer that will satisfy you.  If not, Mineral Spirits will undo it.  

I also suspect that shellac will work on your burnished surface.  There is not much that it will not cover or act as an undercoat for.

 

To save on risking having to perform a tedious and time consuming undo, should things not work as desired, you should do a serious trial of whatever you select on scrap first.

 

Edited December 23, 2022 by Jaager

[knightyo]

Thank you both!  I will start performing some fairly vigorous experimentation with both shellac & renaissance wax.   Ironically, scraping is indeed how I started out finishing the rails; however, I was clumsy and ended up with numbers of fine "cut" lines that I ended up sanding out with a very high grit wet/dry paper.  What I'm left with is burnished large surfaces and unburnished small pieces, recessed pieces, etc.

 

Alan