While waterbase is definitely the best choice for non-yellowing color,
it's probably one of the worst for the other requirements you list. It
will definitely NOT make the grain pop. In fact, it's the most opaque
of the finishes you mentioned. It's also not very good at resisting
water vapor. Like latex paint, waterbase "breathes" quite readily.
It's probably not that much of an issue for jewelry boxes, but
something to consider nevertheless. BLO or "tung" oil (I put in quotes
because it's almost never truly tung oil despite the name) can really
make the grain pop, but offers essentially no protection whatsoever
from water vapor exchange. Again, probably not a big deal for a
jewelry box. Bleached shellac is by far the most resistant to water
vapor exchange (despite its very poor resistance to water in liquid
form) and looks really good.

Personally, I'd go with BLO or either of the tung oil finishes you
mention because they're easy, look great, and should be perfectly
adequate protection for a jewelry box. For what it's worth BLO (or raw
linseed oil for that matter) will darken the color more than other oil
or oil/varnish finishes.

Josh


Toller wrote:
"henry" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have just made four jewlery boxes with 3/4 splated maple set in a
walnut frame for a top. I learned that sanding the wood does not work
because of the black lines getting spread around. Using a cabinet
scrapper I got the surface cleaned up. There seems to still have some
wax sealer impregnated into the wood but mostly gone. I was going to
finish one with clear shellac, 1 boiled linseed oil, 1 waterlox, 1
minwax tung or 1812 the canadian tung. Any suggestions with finishing
Spalted maple is appreciated. I do have varnish and poly in the shop. I
hope that these finishes wont yellow the white background. What would
make the colored lines pop the most as well as seal from future rotting.

I am not sure what shellac will do, but the normal finish to use when you
don't want to yellow the background is water based poly.

The one time I did spalted maple I used BLO and love the results; of course,
I used it as a lid for a walnut box, you may have a different need.
Had no trouble at all sanding; in fact it came up almost polished.