Can I leave my piece natural without a finish?

I've built some brackets out of NZ Rimu, that will hold a pair of very old wood and leather snow my father used in the 60's in Alaska. The Rimu brackets looks great against the shoes which is some sort of Red Wood. I finished a scrap piece of Rimu with wax, but as expected it highlights the Rimu beautifully - brings out the grain and looks as good as your would like, but it makes it too similar to the shoes, which are dull and aged (so leaving the Rimu natural would match their patina. What are the pro's and con's if I were to leave the Rimu unfinished/natural (no wax, oil or vanish)? They are being mounted on a wall inside. The room can get quite hot during the summer. The Rimu came out of an old house we restored and has been sitting in my workshop for me to do something with it - so it's dry and aged, so wouldn't expect it to warp or crack.

Love to hear others advice

Many Thanks
Mike

G'day Mike - If leaving it raw floats your boat then do it. May possibly cause some problems in mid summer or dead of winter due to extremes of temperature but if it's stable then why not.

If you are worried about the timber not matching the snow shoes after waxing, Try waxing a scrap piece and leaving it sit for a week or so. Some waxes will allow the timber to go back to its unpolished colour when the solvent completely dries and the wax has had time to soak in a little. This will only happen with a wax that has no oil added to it as a solvent and has not had anything like sanding sealer or any other finish applied prior to waxing.

Not all waxes have the ability to do this, but most should.

Hope this is of some help.

Cheers - Neil :U