Aniline dye for presentation box

Don't tell anyone, but I've been making this up as I go ;). The idea is for it to have a slightly Asian feel to it. I'm inlaying a couple of kanji characters (strength and peace) in colored epoxy. I tried oak, but the epoxy bled out into the grains. Next, I tried poplar. It's nice for carving the inlay, but not sure about final finish. I've pretty much just been using what I had on hand for wood, but I'm at the point where I'm ready to buy what will will work best... once I figure out what that is. It doesn't have to be black, I was originally hoping for the darkness to conceal some of the flaws in the box miters, but I may start over.
 
Poplar will finish nicely. Its a medium to close grained wood, and will end up very smooth, if you want it to. Probably the simplest and fastest way to finish, is to get a small can of polyurethane or alkyd varnish from Home Depot or Lowes (not the Minwax colored versions or Polyshades, whatever they're calling it now). You obviously dont want spar varnish either.

The advantages of varnish are that it fills the grain quicker, fully cures faster, and is very tough. I love using shellac, but it can be a little more dificult to apply. It can, however, produce one of the finest finishes available in the world. Lacquer works very similar to shellac, but is a little more durable. Are you going for a glass smooth, glossy finish, a more subdued satin, or a little less refined matte finish? That will determine what you use, and how you apply it. None of it will cost more than $10 or $15 bucks.
 
I apologize for not responding sooner. My travel with work was bumped up several days. I'm in Arizona now, and won't be able work on my stuff for awhile.
I'm probly gonna go for a glossy finish.
 
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