Help with how to finish my carving...

[Hrotti]

Hello, everyone. I'm very new to both this site and wood carving, and I could really use a little advice on how to properly finish a recent charm I'm making for a friend (pictured below; not quite complete yet). This is my second wood carving I've ever done, and the first one didn't turn out all that well when I stained it. I've tried to look up (google) what I need to do, but there are so many different options, and I'm not sure how to get the desired result.

The carving is in Red Oak (probably a bad choice, but I don't know any more about woods than finishing), and I'm trying to find a good, light-colored stain that will preserve the natural look. Also, how do I protect the wood without using a varnish that gives it too high of a gloss? Finally, in order to achieve the first two, what grain should I use to sand this?

I'm really sorry for all the questions, I just want to my friend to like it and hopefully make the best of my shoddy carving skills. Thank you for any help and advice you can give.

[Magicman]

Hello
You could use a Fruitwood Stain its not dark and works very well on Red Oak. I would lightly sand with 220 than 380 watch don't sand your detail away. If you don't like gloss finish use a satin finish. Hope this helps
Larry

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, Hrotti. It's nice to have you here with us. There is so much to learn here and a lot of great people here to help you.

You can use Natural Watco Danish Oil. It won't darken the wood and it penetrates and protects the wood.

[mpounders]

I agree with Ron. The oil will make it slightly darker and will provide the finish. I like the way it looks.

[Hrotti]

Thank you all for your help. I think I'll try both methods on a separate piece of scrap and see which one she likes best. Thanks again for your help. Hopefully I'll get better at this stuff and not have to ask too many questions.