[Gunslinger19]

hey guys, im new here. fairly new to carving, but ive mostly completed a carving out of bolivian rosewood and have it fairly well sanded and very smooth. i would love to give it that super smooth, shiny, almost wet looking finish.

any suggestions on how to do this? ive thought of polyurethane, but i dont know for sure. sorry if this has been asked before. the search feature wouldnt work just now. thanks!

[mark yundt]

I believe that most any of the finishes such as polys..urethanes,,laquers would give you the type of finish you are looking for.The poly's are very durable and I personally lean more towards the oil based rather than the acrylic ones. I have used rosewood on knife handles and was able to get a great shine out of the wood itself just by buffing it without any sealers,,,it's a great looking wood.
I have used the poly on a table top because I wanted something that would resist most anything spilled on it. I was able to get a glass smooth finish by rubbing it out using automotive polishes ( compound) then a final wax. It always looks like it's wet as you describe and perfectyl smooth. Hope this helps.

[Robert Decaluwe]

I read this about finishing rosewood to make sure to wipe the piece with laquer thinner to remove any oil from the wood surface . Rosewood has oil in it and the varnish dos'nt dry properly with oil under it.