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What happens after you complete the carving itself? Putting a finish on the carving protects the wood and enhances the beauty of the carving. Here are some possibilities for finishing. Talk with any of the four instructors (Barbara, Adelle, Robert, Lance) for more information or answers to your questions.
Sanding is a matter of choice. If you have a clean carving with no saw marks, wood boogers, or unslightly cuts, you can choose not to sand. This works particularly well with basswood. Just move on to one of the finishing techniques. Most of the hardwoods we carve (butternut, buckeye, catawba, walnut, cherry, cedar, mahogany, and others) look really good sanded. Taking away the cut marks puts the focus completely on the beautiful grain of the wood. There are two superior types of sandpaper for our use. The Swiss Gold sandpaper has a cloth backing, super cutting ability and lasts a long time. Barbara has small packages of it for sale. If you prefer a paper backed sandpaper the best she has found is Norton 3X available almost everywhere in sheets. Always sand in the direction the grain is running. If you sand across the grain with the coarser grits it will put lines in that must be removed with the finer grits. Start with a 150 grit, then move to a 220 or 240 grit, and finish with a 320 or 400 grit. There should be no dimples or saw marks left when you finish sanding. Take your carving out into the sunlight to determine if it is completely sanded. Wear a simple nuisance dust mask when you sand--protect your lungs and sinuses! Wipe the carving free of dust. Then you can move on to a natural finish with the hardwoods or a natural finish or painting with basswood.
Natural finishes are simply finishes that don't obscure the grain and color of the wood. There are many choices available but here are three of the most popular and easier to use: lacquer such as Deft satin or matte; acrylic such as Min-Wax Polycrylic; and a wax such as Feed N Wax. These are available at Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, Woodcraft, or most online wood carving suppliers. All protect the wood from the effects of drying out and accumulation of dust. All can be brushed on the carving and polished to a beautiful low and deep shine. Do not apply so much that it looks like a plastic coating.
Lacquer involves using lacquer thinner to clean the brush, it smells while it is drying, and you want to use it in a shop or garage or outdoors, but not in high humidity (do not try to put on a finish during a hurricane-the lacquer will turn cloudy). Brush on the first coat, let dry, then sand lightly (if carving was sanded) with a 320 or 400 grit paper and wipe clean. Let the second coat dry overnight then rub it down with a piece of brown paper bag (no ink on the bag) to bring up a low sheen. If the carving does not seem to be well coated, brush on a third coat, let dry at least overnight and then rub down again with the brown paper and a soft cloth. Take to the next show & tell.
Acrylic finishes are water based, and thus don't smell and can be used indoors (really good for apartment dwellers or those who have trouble with strong odors like lacquer), and clean up with water. The process for use is the same as for lacquer, but you can often get by with two coats.
Feed N Wax is a combination of beeswax and orange oil. It is the finish of choice for cottonwood bark houses and faces-really brings out the grain. It is thick and must be applied with a toothbrush or glue brush a small bit at a time. Do not let it accumulate in corners and along lines. Allow it to dry about 20 minutes and rub with a soft cotton cloth. Let set overnight and apply a very light second coat if necessary. When dry rub down again. Keep going until you are satisfied with completeness of coverage.
Other products that will give results similar to Feed N Wax are tung oil and walnut oil. Follow directions carefully. For items to be used around food, like spoons and treen ware, use mineral oil.
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