Jeb the mountain man

[drhandrich]

this is my carving of Jeb , Dale Green from out west stopped in our area and taught us this class from his roughouts.
my question is how to finish. I now prefer watco danish natural, but that does not add much of a golden hue to the wood. I can maybe mix in some color to the danish oil. would it have to be oil color ? i think it sounds logical, how much and what color? or have you other ideas. i really dont think i should use acrylic on this carving. would like a buckskin color to it. Jeb1.JPGJeb2.JPG

[Merle Rice]

Hi Denny , Boy you did good on this Guy Great Detailing . I like the color that BLO gives the Raw Wood , then Coat it with Poly U . Try it on a Piece of Scrap Wood first . Merle

[drhandrich]

thanks merle. i used to use blo exclusively, always got a warm glow with it, the last two can i bought however, has a bright color change to it, sort of yellow or yellow green. it did ruin the carving i was trying it on. i am soured on blo after that experience.

[Eddy-Smiles]

How about an acrylic stain?

[Rontana]

He's a great looking mountain man . . . and I really like the detail. I'm in the same boat as you in regard to being unsure as of finish. Have tried mixing BLO with burnt-umber oil paint (and experimented with other colors too) but never have found something that really seemed just right.

I still think the BLO and oil could be very good . . . maybe it's a question of using the right ratio of BLO to oil.

[uvawyo]

Nice carving, Maybe a dark oak or walnut Danish oil and wipe it off while it is still wet if it seems too dark or BLO plus a bit of burnt umber

[pallin]

This carving has a lot of fine detail. I recommend that you highlight some of the details by selectively staining with gel stain. To control where the stain goes, seal the entire carving with water-based polyacrylic. Then brush the stain into areas you want to highlight and wipe off almost immediately. Finish the entire carving with poly.
Here is an example - NOT MINE - only the shoes, pants, beard, hair and incised lines are stained. The carving is by Max Keller, a master carver in Oberammergau, Germany.

Keller1.jpgKeller2.jpg

[drhandrich]

gonna be gone for a week, will have lots of time to test n try when i get back. thanks so far for all the good tips.

[joepaulbutler]

Great carving Denny, Going to leave the finish to those who got a better feel for finishes

[tbox61]

Great carving!!! Most of the leather the trappers wore were smoked after the tanning process, so they are more of a darker buckskin color...also, this guys looks like he has some miles on him, and the leather leggings got darker with age. I don't think you would be wrong to err on the side of a bit darker on the leather shirt and pants...just my .02!

I assume that is a coyote fur hat...darker gray, with white and amber streaks on that fur...

[drhandrich]

If you zoom in a little on the front of the capyou mightpick out its a racoon cap the original caps back then left the faces and ears on

[woodburner807]

A swell job, Denny. Nice details and appropriate ones at that. I use BLO and there are various qualities of BLO, and with artist BLO which is expensive. I wouldn't give up on it yet, and just try it on some scrap wood. Buy fresh and a name brand. JMO

[Tom Ellis]

Denny, Did Dale have any suggestions. I paint with acrylics after putting on danish oil. They work just fine. I have also just painted the eyes just to give him a little life.

[Claude]

Nice work on the carving, Denny!

Claude

[Nebraska]

First great carving, great job on the detail.

Finish:
If I’m keeping it simple I use pure dark tung oil to add some color, a few coats of gloss poly and finishing with two sprayed coats of satin poly

If it’s a project I’m really committed to. Trans-tint makes an additive allowing to tint oil based poly.
This is an extensive process.
1. Two coats of Charles Neils pre-color conditioner
2. gloss poly, allow to dry
3. 320 grit VERY lite sanding then Tinted gloss poly, allow to dry
Repeat step 3 until you get the desired color. This will take several days as each coat needs to dry fully.
I usually sand one more time and the spray on two coats of satin poly.
It’s a long process butt I get the color I want and the wood grain shows through.

Basswood eggs with trans tint finish left egg is over Neil’s right is over a gloss poly base.
85296CB1-D54C-48E3-AF59-03BD5DA3E3F1.jpeg