This was my first time turning boxwood. I wanted to upgrade the handle of my espresso machine's portafilter. I’m really pleased with how smooth it turned out! Should I coat the boxwood, or is it fine as is?
Espresso oil stain. For the symbolism
I will probably choose this option 😉
I would coat it. The timber will hold stains and look dirty pretty quickly if you don’t
Looks great. I think for something like this finishing isn't strictly necessary. The wood will change over time, but I wouldn't be concerned with it getting dirty or stained like mentioned below. It'll just add character, if anything.
One thing to consider would be mineral oil (found in the laxatives section in the grocery store, usually). It's cheap and will help keep the wood nice.I use it on my cutting board, and it needs to be reapplied every so often for that use case.
I like the mineral oil idea! It'll help protect the wood while keeping the pretty light color. I feel like rich dark wood colors get all the love, but the creamy pale wood colors are really beautiful too and it's nice to see them get some love!
One could also use any number of other non-staining finishes, but mineral oil keeps it simple
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