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How do I create a smooth 'patina' on an old pine blanket chest?

I have an old pine blanket chest that I found covered in dirt and grease. I was not concerned with it's possible $$ value (it was filthy anyway) so I scrubbed it with TSP cleaner, soap, putty knife, steel wool, etc. It is clean now. What I want to do is recreate that smooth (kinda shiny) patina raw old wood gets after years of handling. There has to be a way to do this without coating it with varathane and things like this. Can anyone help?

Public Comments

1. Oil and burnish. Soak the wood in some tongue oil or similar oil finish. Let it soak overnight. After it's soaked, use a piece of hardwood like oak or maple. Press down firmly but evenly and rub the hardwood over the pine running parallel to the grain of the pine. This is burnishing. The more you rub the wood with a harder wood the smoother the finish will be (if you're good at it, using the corner of a maple board works the best, using it like you would a hand planer, but uneven pressure can leave lines). Soaking with oil softens the wood fiber enough to make it malleable for burnishing, and adds that soft gleam. Burnishing lines up and presses the wood fibers. Hope it helps.
2. Tung oil is a nice finsh. You can also wax it with paste wax for wood.
3. Modern masters has a complete line of patina aging solutions. All are waterbased and very easy to use.