Turned Sapele Boxes, Matte & Satin Hardwax Oil in Shimla

Two endgrain-turned sapele boxes with ebonised black lids, made and finished by @kathkanistudio and shared on their Instagram with LEINOS tagged. Both boxes were turned, hollowed and sanded the same way and prepped with the same ebonising solution; the one variable the maker left open was the finish. Both are sealed in LEINOS Interior Hardwax Oil 290 — an open-pore oil that soaks into the wood rather than sitting on it as a film — but one box is finished in the matte sheen and the other in satin, to compare how each catches light on the dark endgrain lids.

Turned boxes meant for regular handling need a finish that protects the wood without a plasticky build-up, which is where a hardwax oil suits them: 290 penetrates the sapele and cures to a hard-wearing, open-pore surface that keeps the grain and can be refreshed by re-oiling a worn spot rather than stripping a film. Offered in more than one sheen, the same oil also lets the maker set the look — matte for a flatter, more even reflection, satin for a touch more depth on the ebonised endgrain, where the top grain drinks in more finish and reads darker and more dramatic.