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For a charity silent auction this weekend I decided to make an end grain cutting board. It turned out pretty good and now I'm at the finishing stage. So far i have saturated it with mineral oil and have put on one coat of mineral oil/paraffin wax (4:1 ratio). I know I'm not going to get a shine like I would with a face grain board, but I'm not sure what to expect. Can I expect any sheen at all? I know it's hard to quantify but am curious about others' experiences. BTW the board is walnut/maple.
Thanks,
Sheri
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No you won't have a sheen with mineral oil and paraffin on end grain.
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The end grain will absorb a lot more oil than face grain will. I wouldn't expect any sheen. It would be a nice touch to include a neatly printed card with simple instructions on the proper cleaning and care of the board, for the benefit of the eventual user.
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If you use a harder wax you can get a sheen on it. Not a gloss shine, but definitely a sheen. Even paraffin might work if the grain is completely filled and you power buff it.
John
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Thank you for the responses. I am planning on including a card explaining that it is an "end grain" board and how to maintain it. I even thought of including a small jar of the MO/wax with it.
I'm using paraffin and since it's not getting any shine, I may not have completely filled it with the oil. I'll see if i have any kind of buffing attachment for my drill or lathe. . . .
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Oil won't shine. You need to fill the grain with wax. Keep soaking it with the mixture until wax builds up on the surface. Or just rub it with a block of paraffin. Scrape off the excess with a plastic scraper, and then buff it.
You can actually get most end grain to shine if you just sand it fine enough.
John
