People are actually buying my walnut and maple end-grain chessboards - no one is more surprised than me
A couple of prospective buyers have asked for boards with white (or as pale as possible) maple squares. Every finish I've tried significantly darkens the maple. I'm assuming the problem is exacerbated by the fact that it is endgrain.
I've tried, either alone or in various combinations :-
shellac sanding sealer,
liberon 'special pale French polish'
Teak oil
Danish oil.
Chestnut Products hard wax oil.
All I can think of to try next is some sort of water-based acrylic, like General Finishes High Performance - but finding any of that in stock is impossible. I've never used a water based finish so I don't really know what to expect. (I don't have any spraying facilities)
Oh, and as well as not colouring the maple, I'd still like the walnut to look good !! (Not asking much, I know haha)
Anyone got any tips or tricks?
Thanks guys.