Shellac over a thinned coat of linseed would be my choice. Whatever you do, don't give in to the temptation to sand the oil into the wood. It'll cut down on a lot of the reflections you see as figure, muddying down to uniformity..
I just finished cleaning up some redwood burl and put some mineral spirits
> on the surface and the wood came alive with a beautiful wavy figure that
> just jumped off the surface like a 3D curtain. How do I put a finish on the
> wood to make sure and bring out the best possible 3D effect in the wood? I
> did some googling in the rec.woodworking and found threads that say tung
> oil, boiled linseed oil, shellac.... I don't want to mess this one up. > > David > >