I have made a number of project out of both red and silver dollar eucalyptus. Every finish I’ve tried has darkened the wood, some considerably. I made a rolling pin from a silver dollar eucalyptus branch. It has yellow streaks in it that I would like to keep. Any ideas would be welcome. Even clear shellac tends to mute the yellow and hides it.
Jim
jkbuchholz73@gmail.com
Replies
One of the concerns is that eucalyptus is a really oily wood. You could try mineral oil or acetone first on the surfaces you're finishing as they'll help dry it up a bit.
This is gonna sound strange but teak oil, or something similar is a good finish. Also, pure tung oil won't discolor the wood.
Mikaol
I have not finished Eucalyptus but when I want the wood color to not take the wet or amber tone most finishes provide, I use water soluble finishes starting with General Finishes Sanding sealer followed by a water based finish such as their High Performance. The wood actually shows the wet look after application but returns to its original color when the varnish dries.
Clearest finishes I have found are also water based. I like the General Finishes High Performance. Zero color added.
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