Refinished Bowl w/Lid

Hi, today I am going to refinish a mahogany bowl and lid I turned many years ago. First, I sanded it down to the bare wood... no finish left over from last time.

I applied a thin coat of boiled linseed oil and let it dry over night. In the flash photo below it looks done but we're just getting started!

I did a quick sanding with 400 grit sandpaper and then used a dry tack cloth to remove the dust. Then I applied a thin layer of shellac. I used the stuff already mixed in the can. The picture below is how it looks just after I applied the shellac...

After an hour or when the shellac is completely dry, I sanded again with 400 grit paper and then applied another coat of shellac.

After another hour or when the shellac is completely dry, I sanded again with 400 grit paper and then applied another coat of shellac. The more coats of shellac the better the finish will look. As you can see the figure in the wood is showing up nice in the light!

After an hour or when the shellac is completely dry, I sanded again with 400 grit paper and then applied another coat of shellac. I put five coats of shellac all together over the boiled linseed oil. Now we apply the wax. Just when you think you're done, you're not!


So, I sanded again, using 400 grit paper then applied a thin layer of wax.

I like to let the wax dry over night, so its nice and dry. Then I ... you guessed it... sand and wax again!

Ok, its looking good, it has a good even coat of shellac and wax and I think its done, finally! Well, that's the process, it takes time but the result will last a long time and it makes the wood look great!

Thanks for reading this post, please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions!