Thread: How oil helps.

I started another Buckeye burl brush this week and decided to try just a clear finish on it this time, without any oil. So the finish I planned on doing was 2 coats of water based sanding sealer, and then a final CA finish. After the first coat of Sanding sealer, I wasn't happy with how the handle looked. The grain just had no depth, and hardly an contrast.



The CA would have popped the grain a bit more than what these pictures show, but at this point, I wasn't happy with how it looked.

So I decided to sand off the thin layer of sanding sealer and do my normal oil procedure. The thing I like about oil is, it penetrates wood and gets down in deep. Especially if you help it a bit with a vacuum. It will protect from water, wood movement, and with some oils, UV as well.

From an appearance stand point, well, you be the judge.