I hate finishing, can't spray, and like a thin finsh so I use Minwax oil based wipe on polyureathane. I perfer the looks of a danish oil finish but it dries too slow for me.
The bow is sanded to 280 grit and inspected for tool marks in sunlight. First coat of gloss wipe-on is applied over a period of around 20 minutes- the wood is kept wet and it's rubbed into the wood. The final wipe-down leaves a very thin coat almost dull looking coat that has sunk into the wood more than if it's just wiped-on quickly. When dry, lightly sand with a grey scotchbrite and apply a very thin coat of satin wipe-on. I like the looks of the finish, the easy of application and the fast drying- a bow is finished in 2 days. A big plus is the better-half lets me finish bows with the poly inside. The downside is the grain is not filled and it's not as rugged or water resistant as a thick coating of, say, spar poly.
For oily woods, I rub in a coat of about #1 cut (eyeballed) super blonde shellac kinda like the first wipe-on coat above. I try to leave a very thin dull looking coating. When dry I don't sand for fear of cutting into the oily wood and/or leaving a blotchy surface and apply a coat or two of wipe-on poly.
c.d.
