mistersawdust

Hi everyone. I'm new here.

I did a recess carving on a maple burl. It has alot of figure in it.

I reluctantly followed advise from a freind, and as my gut told me before I did it, the results werent what I was hoping for.

I used linseed oil on it. It looked great when it was wet, but dulled when it dried, and unfortunately I tried several more coats on it but its still flat.

I cant sand it out because of the carving. I should have laquered it like I was going to, but I was hoping for something with less shine, but would make the figure pop.

Now I'm hesitant to put any laquer on it because of what the linseed oil will do to it.

Can anyone help me save my work?

I have alot more burl to make more carvings with. any suggestion for a finish to make it glow without a shiny surface?

Julian the woodnut

Linseed oil will not produce a sheen. You can wax the project to get a little sheen, but for a carving that might be a bit tough to do. Let the oil completely dry then use a thinned coat of dewaxed shellac as a barrier between the lacquer topcoat, or just stick with the shellac finish as it will have a nice sheen to it that won't be super glossy.

mistersawdust

It has been drying for about ten days. I will follow your suggestion. Thanks for your help!