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I wanted to try a very thin, semi-open pore finish on a mahogany parlor body. I filled the pores with 1 coat of Stewmac's Colortone powdered pore filler, sanded it back and cleaned with a damp cloth. The next day, I stained the mahogany with Mohawk Ultra Penetrating stain. The next day. I sealed with Mohawk Vinyl sealer, sanded it smooth, and then put 2 thin coats of Mohawk clear satin nitro. The finish now looks and feels almost the way I want it to, except I want to make it feel a little smoother. Even though I filled the pores, they still show thru the finish, just the way I want them to. There are no finish flaws, drips, or runs, etc that need leveling. I don't want to do any sanding, for fear of white sanding residue getting in the pores. I don't want to use any compound for the same reason. I am thinking of using 0000 steel wool and Mohawk's Wool Lube for smoothing it out some. Anyone have any experience with this product, or a better method to do the final treatment/rub out on the finish? Here are 2 pictures at different light angles.

I've never achieved a truly smooth-to-the-touch finish without a final light sanding, and I've tried all types of "plastic steel wool." But the sandpaper needn't be coarse; a gentle brush using 1500 grit to 2000 grit, backed by a foam covered sanding block, makes a big difference. And a wipe of a naptha-moistened paper towel takes care of the sanding dust. Try it on a piece of scrap; I think you'll find that it works.

The wool lube and steel wool should make it smooth to the touch and give it a low luster. 000 steel wool might work a little faster but 0000 will work and might give a nicer finish. I've have the Mohawk wool lube but it's probably the same as the Behlen product.

Yes, it is Mohawk. I edited my original post.

The finish looks good, and seems to be achieving what you wanted. You could stop now, but I would be concerned that it is still too thin. Two thin coats of nitro is a lot less than most people would consider adequate to get a lasting coating. The danger is that such a thin coating won’t last long and will wear through on areas subject to friction. Most people would think that 6-8 coats is more like a workable finish coating. I would add at least a couple more coats. If you do the steel wool treatment after the final one you should still end up with the satin sheen that you are after.

I would love to know how Burton LeGeyt gets this finish on his necks and is able to keep the ebonizing in good shape

I know it's too late for this build, but the process that was laid out in the old Luthiers Mercantile "Handbook and Catalog" for open pored finishing using oil (Tru Oil in particular) works great. I've used it on multiple builds, and with Tru Oil, it's easy to get a glossy closed pore finish or a satin open pore finish or most anything in between. It requires a lot more work in surface prep prior to applying the finish beyond what it takes for nitro or varnish or shellac, but is worth the extra effort in the great finish that can result if done right.

I don't know if there's an online version of this or not, But the article was called "Fine Oil Finishes for the Instrument Builder" by Bill Woods. It was included in the 90's versions of the LMI catalog.

In a lot of ways, those old LMI catalogs were the predecessors of web based info sources like this forum. It would be great if LMI were to publish an online version of their old catalog. Lots of great info there, written by a lot of very inspired folks.

Dave