Douglas R. Hortvet, Jr. wrote:

All,

Had planned to use a tung oil finish on red oak to be used as a model
display stand - indoor use only, and after reading the many posts on the
use of this product - and those called tung oil finishes, not confident
this is the best way to go.

Desired end result is a low lustre, rich finish that can be completed in a
reasonably brief period of time.

From my limited understanding, a poly finish is not preferred.

The wood has been stained using Minwax's wood finish product.

I have a can of Bartley's gel varnish - although will likely have to
destroy the can's lid to get it off.

Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Doug

The gel varnish may give you what you want -- test on a piece of scrap.
You might try a natural Danish oil, that will give a low luster, but not
sure how it will interact with your stain. If you use any oil or
penetrating finish, be aware that oak will bleed the finish for quite some
time after application, so make sure you make periodic checks to wipe up
any weeping pores or you will have dried oil beads (happened to somebody
who lives in my neighborhood).



--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough