Help needed with a finish

[Nail Hitter]

Hi

I'm making a small wooden tea pot trivet and I'm after some advice on finishing it. I've attached a picture of it, it's not yet finished but it gives some idea of what I'm doing. The teapot shape and the teak ring need to be fixed in place, after which they'll be levelled off to make the top surface flat. Likewise the edge of the trivet still need trimming to size. When it comes to a suitable finish I'm not sure what to do. I was thinking of using a clear epoxy resin as a grain filler, this will stop the wood from absorbing liquids and it should leave the surface flat for any lacquer. But I'm not really sure what to use. In the past I've used nitrocellulose lacquer for a hard, smooth finish when I made a guitar, but I don't want anything that glossy. Satin varnish tends to look a bit crappy.

I want something that will
1 - not be too glossy
2 - protect the wood
3 - resist the heat from the teapot
4 - look natural
5- be straight forward to apply

Any ideas, help or suggestions much appreciated.

Cheers

James

 

[CHJ]

Best compromise to try for moisture and some heat resistance would be Hard Wax Oil I think.

Gloss level can be adjusted by the number of coats.

Apply, leave a few minutes to soak in and then wipe off surplus un-absorbed/pooled oil.
Apply further coats when touch dry.

 

[Nail Hitter]

Thanks for that, I've had a look at chestnut - so many options !

I was also thinking of U pol, polyester spray. I've seen it used very effectively by a bloke making a longbow, it was a composite of wood and glass fibre and the u pol gave an excellent finish, although I'm not sure about the heat/water resistance. U pol is made for use on car bodywork so being in the moisture isn't a problem, although it's probably a bit too glossy for my needs.

Any other help would be much appreciated

 

[Nail Hitter]

I've finished it off, I used Colron, Refined Finishing Wax. I gave it three coats and it's just the result I wanted. Thanks CHJ.

 

[Ross French]

well that dose look good.