Unfinished finish

The picture shows a penny for focusing (I have almost forgotten how to focus a camera manually) sitting on my tabletop with a semi-dried coat of thinned tung oil which was applied with very fine steel wool. It’s an odd way to finish a piece of wood when you’re going for a semi-shiny coating, but according to the instructions, this is what you do. Put on some oil, let it dry, then take it off. Then put it back. After the fifth or sixth time (and the fifth or sixth day) you will be surprised by a nice shiny finish that can’t be duplicated with varnish. Or at least that’s the promise. We’ll see.