Shellawax cream-hand application

Hello everybody. I would like some advice on using Shellawax Cream without a lathe. Has anyone figured out a way to increase the shine with hand only application?

I have used Western red cedar. It's just what I'm using for now until I buy something else. I also did a test patch of Shellawax Cream on something that might be Silky Oak. I get a nice silky finish, but only what I could describe as a sheen rather than a shine. I have used sandpaper grits 120 180 240 320 360 400 800 1200. I used a white singlet to apply the cream. I tried to pretend I was a lathe and rubbed the cream in as hard as I could (REALLY HARD). Didn't see any haze or feel dragging to tell me to stop. Further buffing did not affect it.

http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/p...od/Scr_109.jpg

The photo was taken in the sunshine. The 'silky oak' is at the top. The darker section in the middle is where I put on a second coat of cream. The bottom piece is Western red cedar. I know that this is a spongy type of wood and may be one of those ones that will never take a shine without some super duper gloss system. Have I stumbled across another unshinable piece of wood in the silky oak? Or is it me? Or is it that I will never achieve more than this without a lathe?

I'm not looking for a high gloss finish, just something that reflects a bit of light.

Thanks,
Yeebla

let it dry a few day's then apply a few more coats

If you have a palm sander fit a cloth to it and duff away

Hello

Wheelin: I don't have a palm sander if that means an electric gadget. I did put more shellawax cream on like you said, but it didn't increase the shine. I have buffed it with a cloth. If your recommendation of further buffing would help, then how much buffing to people do by hand to achieve a good result?

To sum up:

Will I ever get a shine by using Shellawax cream that is applied by hand only with no lathe involved?

It all depends on what you call a shine.

Do you want a soft looking finish or a high gloss

The Shellawax cream is a friction polish for use on the lathe which even then does not give you a high gloss.

Traditional wax is more usefull of the lathe but even then it will give you a nice soft sheen not a high gloss.

I've been applying a finish to a document box that i made for my brother & i was after a nice mirror finish to the sasafras top. I started with shelac, about 5 coats then finished it off with good ole canuba wax. It came up with a really nice deep glossy finish.

Thanks Jim

Quote:

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The Shellawax cream is a friction polish for use on the lathe which even then does not give you a high gloss.

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I guess I expected too much when I looked at the photos on the Shellawax Cream page- http://www.ubeaut.com.au/cream.html
The items on that page do have what I would call a high gloss. I didn't expect to achieve that degree of shininess without a lathe, but was hoping for half of it.