[pajarita]

I have something made of porous wood that will go on my ears, so i need a finish for it... i've read mineral oil so far because it's safe... i ahve baby oil with vitamin E and Aloe Vera and some fragance and olive oil around but i'm not sure if that's safe.

Also i was told the oild with time will make the wood darker? That would be nice because i dont really want to paint it. And also was told i would need something like beeswax to seal it? I also thought of using some hairwax i have around instead of the beeswax but i'm either not sure if that's a safe thing to do as this stuff will be on my ears.

I would appreciate any help!

[Raparee]

How about Danish Oil?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I finished some I made with polyurathane

[AlArchie]

Porus wood and earings and oils and waxes......hmmmmmm, interesting combinations.

I suppose you could finish them off with one of the oils or waxes, but here's something to consider. Hair oils and skin oils will soon start to affect the finish you put on unless you have a fairly impervious surface.

My bet would be to thoroughly seal that porus surface. That would include whatever stain you want (if you want a stain) followed by several coats of a clear sanding sealer with a filler to get those wood pores closed up. After that has dried and CURED, follow with Dave's recomendation of a polyurethane finish.

Here's my reasoning; whether you have pierced ears or not, from what my wife tells me all earings tend to irritate after a while, and especially with pierced ears, there is always the possibility of infection if the earings get contaminated with bacteria.....and they will, so you will want a surface that can be thoroughly disinfected. That means a solid, non-porus, non-reactive finish. A well filled and sealed wood coated with polyurethane, which is actually a fairly impervious plastic, fits that bill about as well as anything I can think of.

Plus with poly you can choose either high gloss, semi-gloss, satin, or flat finishes.

Al

[Keoma]

I seal all of my arrings and ear plugs with olive oil. Not the extra virgin because it goes rancid. Then i use essential oils as well. That makes for a real nice smell. It would be nice to know what the wood is? A lot of wood can be harmful...like my yew ear spirals. I have a real good coating of polyeurethaine on them.
Oil will darken them, and they will get even darker over time. certain brands of mineral oil actual are petrolium based , I don't like the idea of that hanging near or in my skin. Olive is natural, and the poly dries so well and smooth that I do not worry about getting it in my body.
Sorry to sound as if I am venting...I try to be as organic as possible...even in my woodworking! Every little bit helps right?
Maybe you could post your earrings so we could see them?