Gloss finish for wood handles?

I recently made myself a brush handle from white oak with a walnut stain and used four coats of Tru-Oil Gun Stock Finish for the topcoat. After a few weeks of use, the finish has a dull, flat look. I rinse it thoroughly after each use. My original thinking was that a penetrating oil would provide deeper protection against the water. But now I think maybe a varnish that lays on the surface may be a better choice. Sometimes I will want to rub it to a high gloss look, and sometimes I prefer a matte or satin look. What do you use/recommend for a durable high gloss or satin finish on wood brush handles?

I used a urethane finish on my olive wood handle. I'm very satisfied with the results.

I restored a wood-handled brush for my son and used CA (super glue) rubbed on with a rag. I think I put 10 coats, or so, on it - he tells me it's holding up well.

High-gloss marine varnish designed for mahogany boats? I've always wanted to try this.

Marine varnish is exactly what I have been looking at for my next handle! I like to wipe the finish on to avoid paint brush marks and I've finally found a brand of marine varnish that allows the use of a pad for application. I'm going to go with the gloss instead of high gloss because I don't want the super glossy look on this one.

Had to order the marine varnish cause nobody around here stocked it. Here is the one I ordered.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HEKV08/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sheb said:

Had to order the marine varnish cause nobody around here stocked it. Here is the one I ordered.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HEKV08/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Click to expand...

Consider a layer of clear epoxy before adding the marine varnish, as many wooden boat builders recommend this to seal the wood and add longevity, if that is what you're wanting to do. If you are a brush soaker (like boar), you might want to do this.

If you use a badger knot and/or don't soak your brush, the varnish alone would likely be fine as the handle doesn't have to handle a daily soaking. Just some thoughts.

The brush will have a badger knot. And I won't soak it. Also, I use a brush rotation so that each brush has plenty of time to dry between uses.

However, I am using a boar in my first restoration brush because it is closest to the original knot and because I want to see how a boar knot performs. The brush is almost finished. I polished it today and tomorrow I will seal a couple of holes in the bottom of the knot cavity with epoxy before gluing in the knot. It is a cute little bugger! The top section was attached askew, so it is lopsided! That's ok. Perfection is not a requirement in my work. A little personality is endearing. Here are some pics.



I cleaned out the old knot with a drill and a Dremel. Looking forward to the first shave in a few days!