Your favorite finish for East Indian Rosewood?

I’ve worked with EI rosewood before. I used a coat of dewaxed spray shellac as a sealer and then applied multiple coats of wipe on poly (minwax). I can’t say this is the best way to finish this wood but I can say that it worked well for me. I was quite satisfied with the result.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Thanks Rich. Sounds like I should be ok with shellac + lacquer then. Can anyone chime in regarding the pore issue?

-- Optimists are usually disappointed. Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised. I tend to be a disappointed pessimist.

Live,

I don’t think the pores will disapppear with sanding. Shellac will seal it, but the pores will prevail. Pore fillers tend to add coloration which may not be what you want. What I’ve done (not on rosewood, though) is use plaster of paris. Wet the surface-don’t soak it- to raise the grain, let it dry and sand lightly to remove the fuzz, then mix plaster of paris and apply with a squeggee across the grain. Wipe off the excess, again across the grain, let dry and fine sand. Hit it with shellac and the plaster-of-paris turns translucent. That’s how it worked for me on white oak and walnut, anyway. That technique comes from Jeff Jewitt. At any rate, if you try it, try it on scrap. As I’ve seen someone say somewhere, “Try your finish on scrap, or be prepared to scrap your finish.”

Steve

-- Steve in KY. 44 years so far with my lovely bride. Think I'll keep her.

My fallback on all boxes I dont want to oil and wax is spraying lacquer.
It doesnt change the color all that much and it does the whiteness in Maple justice…and all woods for that matter. Plus you can get it to a nice smooth surface very easily.

-- thatwoodworkingguy.com ~Eagle America~ ~Woodcraft~

Lacquer- can’t beat it! You can wet sand it and polish it to a mirror shine, just like your car (if it had a lacquer finish). Smooth, smooth, smoooth. Yum!

That’s a great tip from Jeff, Steve. After fine sanding I think the pores on the rosewood aren’t big enough to bother me so I’ll just seal with shellac this time.

Lacquer it is! I love me some EM6000. I really do need to get better at getting the rubbed out mirror gloss look. Can anyone who uses EM6000 share how they rub it out?

-- Optimists are usually disappointed. Pessimists are either right or pleasantly surprised. I tend to be a disappointed pessimist.