How do you finish your carvings?

[BobD (Archive)]

Here is the place to discuss the new poll.

[Thomp]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

when i get around to finishing one, i use the method lynn droughtys discussed numerious times

a wet on wet method where the paint is thinned down to that of watercolor, and used on a wet carving,
i do like the results of using some floating medium (lora irish's mention) to help keep the paint pigment bound like some water based sealer or floating medium,
when im satisfied i clear coat it with some spray mat gloss..

if theres something better i'd want to hear about it .

[kitaye]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

I voted other as I've done all the above, as well as Tun Oil, and a food grade oil to finish the wood. Each items gets a different treatment depending on what it is and what it will be used for.

[Eddy-Smiles]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

Acrylic paints diluted in various degrees with water and sealed with matt or satin finish waterbased varnish. Natural wood finished items stained and/or sealed with oil based poly.

[susieq]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

acrylic paints, an oil based antiquing solution, then an acrylic matte finish.

[Kenny_S]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

I voted other as not all finishing methods were mentioned. Like most polls, anwers are what the poll giver gives you and not a total representation of all types of method. Granded, You can'rt list them all but there are several regularly used methods not given. "
One important answer could or should have been "all of the above", which that combined with other methods are used often.

However, Thank you Bob Duncan!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

Deft...either satin or sometimes gloss.

[Blake Lunsford]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

Satin Deft for me also! Dries quick and gives a good look.

[Bartster]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

watered down acrylics with a splash of linseed oil when dried then a light coat of deft and some howards feed and wax. works for me and gives the carving a nice soft look.


bart

[mikeg]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

I chose "Paint" since we could only choose one and that's basically the one I use the most though I do generally put a clear coat of some sort over it to protect it.

mikeg

[gene-messer]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

Watered down acrylics untill I get the desired result .. Then a dip in a mixture of BLO, Mineral Spirits and Burnt Umber Oil base Paint ...

After drying .. Deft Satin to seal ..

Gene

[Dan Wegiel]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

When I first started and didn't know any better, I was spraying them all with spar. Looks good when first applied, but peels and makes them look too shiny. Now I use only Danish Oil on my carvings. It brings out the true color of the wood and keeps it looking fresh and natural.

[Callynne]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

I paint the piece with acrylics, going for what Nancy G refers to as the 'plastic' look, gentle washes of color just don't work for me! I then use a water based antiquing medium and finally seal with a water based matte varnish.

Susieq, what is the oil based antiquing medium you use? I remember using an oil based one when I used to paint ceramics, I was wondering if it would work better than the water based one. Seems to me it would be easier to remove, since the oil base would have a longer drying time. Have to be fast to get the water based one off before it sets too much! Talking Deborah
</IMG></IMG></IMG>

[susieq]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

Hi Deborah,

Years ago a woman in the same carving class as myself, took pity on me when I painted my first santa. She was a long time painting teacher and invited me to start coming to her home once a week during the winter. She held a little painting group with friends and she taught me so much.

One of the things she showed me was this antiquing formula. She said that if you antique acrylics with acrylic, the antiquing will adhere too much to your piece and muddy the colors. (If I used oil paints to paint the piece, I would probably not use this solution as it would muddy the colors or even act as a solvent and remove them) Also, acrylics tend to have a chalky appearance to them when they dry. This solution tones down the colors and makes them richer, does away with that chalk affect.

She made up her antique solution from burnt umber oil paint (about an inch or so of the paint squeezed out onto a little dish...) then about a table spoon of a medium called copal. I buy it at Michaels and they have a website if there isn't one near you. Grumbacher puts it out.

Mix that up thoroughly with a palate knife to the consistancy of runny yogurt and apply to your acrylic painted carving. It will scare you to death to see how dark it looks. (I make mine pretty dark but you could use less burnt umber and more copal to start with) then you begin removing the solution. I used old ratty paint brushes that have seen their best day long ago for this job. I keep old brushes just for this. Keep a clean brush handy just to dip into the copal and maybe apply pure copal to places you don't want to take the antiquing too dark. Also, after you wipe it down good, if you want to highligh areas or remove antiquing here and there a bit, dip your rag into the copal and hit those places with it.

I usually do the faces first. Apply the antique to the face, then wipe it and work it before moving on to the rest of the carving. I save old t-shirts because they make the best antiquing rags....and be sure to bag up those oil rags and put them outside in the garbage. I am deathly afraid of spontaneous combustion with oil rags so they don't even go in the household garbage....they go outside as soon as I am finished with the job. This is not a fast process. It takes me quit a while to wipe down a piece. Over an hour for a medium sized carving.....longer for a large one. I go through a lot of t-shirt rags in one setting. I keep Q tips and tooth picks andy to cover with the rag and get into tiny hard to reach areas that seem so prevailant on my pieces. When a piece is finished to my satisfaction, I let it sit for at least 24 hours. Then I apply a coat of matte acrylic clear coat over the antique solution and sign the piece and it's done.

Try it on a practise piece and play with it until you get the effect that you are looking for. I like the truly old appearance it gives my work. Let me know how you like it.
Happy carving.
susieq

[Callynne]

Re: How do you finish your carvings?

Thanks Susieq, I never heard of copal, I'll have to check it out. Sounds like it's about the same amount of work as using the water based antiquing medium, only I use more water in place of the copal. Definitely something I need to experiment more with....in my spare time! Sarcastic Thanks again! Deborah</IMG></IMG>