Finish for curly hickory (and other related questions)?

[PIndelicato]

I have what I believe to be some curly hickory, and I have three questions about it:

1) Is that indeed what it looks like in the photo?

2) What finish would be best (i.e. final sanding grit and Danish oil, curly maple acid-type finish, etc.?)

3) The scale on the left is as I received it, the one on the right has been sanded to 150x. It seems that usually sanding brings out any grain or figure in wood MORE, but in this case it's less noticeable. Is that normal for curly woods? (I also have some curly black walnut, and it seemed to do the same thing.

If anyone has any photos of how you've finished similar wood before, please post them. Thanks for any help!

 

[hurley0816]

Im a newbie, so it may not be the greatest. i sand to 220 and use danish oil for a finish. the curl will come back once you have a finish on. mist the one that you sanded lightly with some water and you will see what i mean!

 

[NStricker]

Muzzleloader builders prefer to scrape, rather than sand, curly maple because sanding tends to blur the stripes/curl.

I haven't worked with curly hickory, but this is what I've done for maple (this method was actually described by Chuck Burrows). Sand progressively to 400 grit. Then, switch to 0000 steel wool. Burnish with coarse cloth or old jeans.

You'll then need some way to bring out the curl. One method is to wipe the wood with vinegar, muriatic acid, or some other mild acid, and then torch lightly. You don't want to scorch the wood, just cook off the acid. Then stain if you want to darken the wood further, and apply a finish coat.

You can also get stains from Laurel Mountain Forge designed for curly/tiger maple.