Looking for suggestions on finish

[chipper67]

Hello,

I'm getting real close in finishing this relief. It's basswood. I am looking for some suggestions on how to finish it. I know for sure I do not want to paint it, but possibly some sort of stain. If I do stain I am afraid of the blotchy look that basswood can do even with a pre-stain on it. I had seen Krum used Golden Oak Briwax on her panel and it turned out real nice. I'm just wondering what has worked for you and what you prefer in finishing a basswood relief. I will be donating this to our son's annual school fundraising auction next month. Oh, and also please feel free to critique my relief too.

Thanks,

Chipper67

[Eddy-Smiles]

Re: Looking for suggestions on finish

Chipper...

Good question because I also have a basswood relief carving that I'm working on and I was about to use an oil stain on it. I wasn't aware of the possiblility of a blotchy look when staining basswood. I'd never applied other than an acrylic finish on it. I've already used a watercolor wash to give the edges and imperfections a natural look and had intended on a MinWax Ispwich stain for the body. I was going in after the fact and paint the eyes with an acrylic and then use a matt poly to protect it all. Hmmm... if what you say is true that might not be the way to go.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Re: Looking for suggestions on finish

Hello,

I'm getting real close in finishing this relief. It's basswood. I am looking for some suggestions on how to finish it. I know for sure I do not want to paint it, but possibly some sort of stain. If I do stain I am afraid of the blotchy look that basswood can do even with a pre-stain on it. I had seen Krum used Golden Oak Briwax on her panel and it turned out real nice. I'm just wondering what has worked for you and what you prefer in finishing a basswood relief. I will be donating this to our son's annual school fundraising auction next month. Oh, and also please feel free to critique my relief too.

Thanks,

Chipper67

You can use the Min-Wax Pre-Stain, works good and evens out the stain...you can always use gel stain with it as its a little easier to control imho

[brent]

Re: Looking for suggestions on finish

Might try using sanding sealer first so the wood pores would stain more sevenly.....hope. I would scrap try this first to make sure it doesn't turn out to dark or for any other problems.

[mark yundt]

Re: Looking for suggestions on finish

One thing to pre check as well,,end grains. On a smooth flat board the stain might look like it's working fine,,once you hit a variety of end grains,, as you will in a carving,, the stain can react quite differently, that's partly what gave me fits on the greenman,,the main flat grain areas looked fine,,but once you got into end type grain,,it turned way too dark,,just a suggestion.

[Ashbys]

Re: Looking for suggestions on finish

Different pieces of basswood can really react differently, from one piece to the next , depending upon the dryness of the wood. Basswood can act like a sponge when you go to finish it, and then because of the threading effect of the fibers can result in a lot of variation.

Unless you have a test piece of the same wood , I suggest you use a pre-stain then you will get a better consistantcy in the stain. Some stains, especially water based will attach to the surface fibers and the pigment will group together leaving blotches, the prestain , helps in reducing the effect of the fibers trying to grab the mositure and balances the flow effect of the pigment.

If you use a pre- stain make sure it is base matched - oil to oil , water to water.

Ash