Bare pine

Probably why I quite like french polishing stuff... normally by the time I get to the finish stage of a project I am getting impatient for results, but the fact that you can apply polish, and by the time you have finished its dry enough to start again in many cases does not seem nearly as bad as waiting about for stuff to dry ;-)

In message , Theo Markettos writes

You can treat the knots with a sealer. Clear Ronseal satin finish mellows nicely over time.

FWIW I had some Liberon 'Finishing Oil' left over from another project so I used that. They've turned from a slightly-pink 'magnolia' colour to a slightly-yellow 'barley' colour, but it's not too much of a difference. I assume they will darken a bit with age, but can live with that.

Thanks for all the ideas - useful to know :) Theo