Patchy finish on end grain.

[digitalsmokehead]

I've made an Oak money box which has 2 sides with striking end grain. My problem is getting the finish right. I tried a liberon oil finish but wasn't happy with the colour so I sanded it back down fully and tried a gloss varnish, slightly diluted with white spirit as instructed. The problem is light patchy areas which look awful.

I'm currently waiting for it to dry before I re-sand and try again.

I can only think its trapped dust after sanding. My cloth and vac didn't seem to remove it.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[marcros]

could you avoid sanding it off- use a cabinet scraper or finely set plane instead?

 

[digitalsmokehead]

could you avoid sanding it off- use a cabiney scraper or finely set plane instead?

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't own a scraper and my planing skills ( both setting up and using ) aren't there yet. I've been using a belt sander to do most of the work and then worked through a few paper grits by hand to a nice smooth finish.