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I made some small hardwood boxes a few years ago for a craft sale I attended. I was, at the time, trying to experiment somewhat with different finishes and I happened to come up with what, I think, is a really nice hand rubbed finish for smaller items. The reason why I suggest that you reserve this for smaller items is first, and most importantly, the amount of time it takes to finish each piece. Second, it involves using a brushing lacquer which then has to be rubbed out. The result can be quite exquisite though.
Without going into a lot of detail as to procedure, I'll assume you know how to apply a finish, I will try to stick to the specifics of this particular finishing schedule. This is a 4 part finish that involves dyeing, sealing, applying the finish coating, and rubbing out. You may add an extra step for filling the pores, if you are working with an especially porous wood like red oak and if you prefer a completely flat surface.
Before I get to the particulars, I should point out that the majority of the boxes were made from mahogany so I used reddish brown dye and tried to approximate the look of mahogany in old furniture - deep red with a real depth to the finish. Most of the finishes and materials used here were obtained through Lee Valley. Make sure you buy brushing lacquer and not the spraying kind. Brushing lacquer is specially formulated to cure slower and flatten out the brush marks. The only materials I didn’t buy at Lee Valley were the felt blocks and the abrasive papers, which were purchased at Klingspor's woodworker's shop online.
After careful sanding, I dyed the box with a water-based aniline dye. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for mixing. Aniline is different from a stain, which basically consists of a pigment, carried by a solvent, that gets lodged in the openings of the cell endings and pores. Aniline dye actually penetrates the surface of the wood tissue so it tends to give a much more even result. The only drawback, being water-based, is that it raises the grain. This effect can be reduced by raising the grain prior to the final sanding. To do this you simply take a damp cloth and wipe the box down. Then set it aside for a day or two to ensure that it is completely dry, after which you perform the final sanding. Regardless of this precaution, the dying process will raise a little more grain. No problem, just do not sand after dying - wait until after the next step.
The second step involved sealing the dye into the wood with a 1.5 to 2 pound cut of orange shellac in a wash coat. You will find that during application of the dye, the box will look exceptional. Once it dries, however, it will look like a two-year-old colored it with purple chalk. The application of the shellac seals in the dye, brings back the beauty of the piece by giving it that "wet look", and tones down the color of the dye. It also hardens any left over raised grain thereby making it easy to sand smooth. Don't worry about cutting through the color - the piece is dyed, not stained. That means that the raised grain is colored all the way through. Some 320X sandpaper in a light pass will level the shellac and removed the raised grain, leaving the surface perfectly smooth for the third step.
Now apply two to three coats of a special lacquer formulated for brushing, sanding between each with 400X wet/dry paper. This part goes relatively fast because of the fast drying time of lacquer. Smooth even strokes with a full, natural bristle brush worked for me. Read the manufacturer's instructions for application to be sure. I found that the more I tried to level the lacquer, the more brush marks I got in the end. Applied in smooth even strokes, it seemed to level itself just fine. Make sure to use a sanding block as it is easy, when sanding between coats, to over sand without it. I have read many poor reports of the performance of brushing lacquer, but I had really good luck with it.
The final stage involves a lot of elbow work. Make sure you give the piece a day or two to completely cure before proceeding. First, you need to wet sand the box with 600X or 800X wet/dry paper that has been lubricated with mineral oil. I use one of those cotton circles for makeup removal and dab it at the mouth of my bottle, then smear on a thin coat of oil on the surface. Use a sanding block and sand to flatten and remove any trapped particles (dust particles settling on a curing finish produce those little pimples you see). Don't sand too much.
Using a felt block, or a few layers of craft felt wrapped around a wood block - it worked for me before I found the real thing, you need to rub out the lacquer with pumice, then rottenstone. Using pumice will leave you with a satin to semi-gloss finish. Finishing off with rottenstone will give you the high gloss sheen. You will also need separate felt blocks for pumice and rottenstone - if you contaminate your rottenstone block you can reserve it for use as a pumice block later, should something happen to the one you are using. I like to keep my mineral oil in a small plastic dropper bottle and my pumice and rottenstone in shakers (like you would use for salt and pepper).
Start with FFFF pumice. Squirt some mineral oil on the surface you are rubbing out and spread it around with your fingers. Then sprinkle an even coating of pumice on the surface and begin to rub, pressing hard but not really hard, with the grain. Try to be systematic about how your rub and go over all parts of the surface evenly so as to produce an even result. Regularly clean off the surface with a rag to inspect your progress. When you have a nice even satin finish you are done.
You can stop here if you prefer, and put a coat or two of nice wax on the box and you will be very happy. If you really want to use the box as a mirror, then repeat the rubbing out process with rottenstone. You will know you are done when you get a high gloss shine. Finish with a couple of coats of a nice wax. The end result to this process will be a finish with great color, depth and clarity. The key to a good job is in the sanding. You will have to work a little to get a finish like this but the comments you receive will be well worth it.
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