Denis Chénard, Orléans, Ont.
>There was an article in FWW a while ago about controlling blotching, and quoting from memory, sanding cherry to 400 grit did help a good deal in controlling blotching. I suspect that at this grit level the wood gets burnished as much as it gets sanded.

But this goes against my grain, I prefer planed surfaces.

I don't stain wood as a principle (YMMV), so blotching is less of an issue for me, besides I don't use oil much as a finish.

Using a washcoat does indeed eliminate most blotching. But one rationale behind an oil finish is to pop out the grain. I wonder if anyone has tried using a very diluted coat of clear oil as a first finishing step. Blotching occurs when an area sucks in more oil than the rest. If the oil is thinned a lot, there is not much oil that can get absorbed, yet it should create a barrier for the subsequent coats.

Just a theory...

DC