Finishing

Yes yes I know i'm not writing about things in the order i do them, but then i'm not writing this blog to be a class on stick dressing.  I am working on a section for my web site at www.wolston.com/crooks that will be a step by step guide through my stick making process.  The blog is about what i'm doing on a day to day basis and this time its finishing.
Finishing typically takes about a week.  After i think i am done with sanding I add a coat of finish, then i examine it to see if there are marks that indicate I missed something in sanding.  I clean up the marks and finish again.  Once i cant find any more marks to clean up I add another 3-5 coats of finish, give it a buff with very fine steel wool then one last coat of finish.
The finish i use most is a gun stock finish called Tru Oil but i also use Tung Oil sometimes.  I usually save up sticks once they are done sanding and finish several at once.  This is because once a bottle of oil is opened and exposed to the air it starts to slowly thicken and eventually set hard so if you don't want to waste a lot then you need to try and use it up in a reasonable amount of time.  You can get a spray on version of Tru oil but there is something about hand rubbing on the finish that I find really gives me a connection to the piece that i don't get when i use the spray on finish.
Anyway i have just put the last coat of finish on three sticks so here they are.  The first one is a shepherds crook in quilted maple with a black horn collar, the second is a derby walking stick in black walnut with a white horn collar the the last one is a safety grip derby stick in quilted maple.