Using ALCOHOL to Soften Wood
Some woods, such as walnut or oak, are very tough and hard to carve. You can soften the wood up by applying de-natured alcohol to it. The alcohol will not cause the grain to raise like water will. The alcohol, of course, will evaporate with time.
STABILIZING WOOD WITH SHELLAC AND ALCOHOL
Some woods will be pithy and will fuzz up (some basswood) when you cut it or grind it. I have found that when you mix 50% de-natured alcohol and 50% white shellac and coat the wood, it stabilizes the wood and makes it very smooth to cut and grind. This mixture will not hurt the wood or cause the grain to raise up. You can paint or burn the wood after you finish carving just like always. You will have to re-apply the mixture as you waste the wood.
Has your wood got the fuzzies?
Spalted basswood is hard to get smmoth. It you try to sandit, it fuzzes up something terrible. Try some alkyd sanding sealer, about 1 part sealer to 3 parts turpentime. it seals the wood and puts a patina on it like lacquer. It also imparts a light color to the wood. The sealer will gum up sandpaper but it is worth the trouble to gain control over the fuzzies.
Painting & Finishing
Use matte spray to seal your carvings before painting and after painting. Spraying on after painting will protect the paint when the carving is handled and will preserve the colors for years to come. Matte spray will not leave a shiny finish and dries quickly.
Staining tip: Since most carpenter's glues are almost colorless when dry, it is often missed until the stain is applied. That tell-tale white spot or line shows up. To solve this problem, tint the glue with food coloring. A few drops of red or green will make any squeezed out glue highly visible and easier to sand off.
Painting and antiquing your caricature carvings?
Using acrylic paints, fill a small jar with water then add a small quantity of the paint. Apply the thin washes to your carving, drying between coats with a hair dryer to prevent bleeding. For the antiquing: In a quart jar mix equal parts of boiled linseed oil (buy at local hardware store) and mineral spirits. Darken
to 'taste' with burnt umber artists oil paint. Dip or brush the carving with this mixture and blot off excess. It will soften the colors, fill in any voids in the paint and it will make the wood grain show through the paint. This will keep down the number of questions about being wood or not.
Look At Your Project Before Finishing
You can apply paint thinner to the wood before finishing and any scratch or other unwanted marks will show up. The thinner will not affect the wood. Secondly, take the piece out in the sunlight. The sunlight will show up these marks very well. Also use the sunlight to check out your paint finish. You will be shocked at what you see out in the sun. |