Some advice needed from all you experts out there! I have turned a number of walnut, pear, and one or two maple bowls, and many times end up with dark blotches along the endgrain after finishing. I usually use Danish oil, and so I assume this is the problem (end grain soaking up finish faster/heavier than rest of bowl). What should I do - a sanding sealer? Pre-finish? Mineral spirits? Any help is appreciated!
Robert
I'd say that your primary problem may be endgrain tearout and that's the cause of the blotchiness. If you had said that all the endgrain was darker than the sidegrain areas, then yes a sanding sealer type of finish may help out with that.
For tearout, first you need very sharp tools and light cuts; second, good lighting to closely inspect the surface prior to and during sanding; third, patience and tenacity to get rid of any tearout you see.
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