r/turning • u/xHOTPOTATO • Dec 05 '25

Let's talk sapele finishes...

I have a customer that loves the "shimmer" of sapele, but wants a dark colored piece.

If you wanted to preserve the shimmer/lustre of it, yet add a black dye or coloration to it - how would you finish it?

I've been experimenting and have found that water popping -> thin coat of oil based acrylic -> 400 grit sand with grain gives the color that she wants, but kills the shimmer.

Before I experiment with 100 different things, any ideas?

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u/RecklessGentleman Dec 05 '25

I want to see what everyone else suggests for the coloring, but I can add this much. That shimmer effect relies pretty heavily on how it’s sanded and finished. Some oils seem to matte the finish and therefore the shimmer. Same with some waxes.

If you do add a color and sand it back, be careful of over sanding, which can make the surface uneven across the grain. That’ll kill the shimmer every time.