2nd carving..abstract heron/pics/long rant and help!

[woodmodeler]

After the positive encouragement received for my 1st carving pictures, I've gone ahead and carved another.

Attempted to carve a simple crane/heron in abstract. WIP pictures attached.

Looked quite simple on paper and I thought it would be like one of those 5 min/10 min carvings which the masters here put forth.So I thought I may take a couple of hours.

Damm was I wrong... it took me more than half a day to carve the rough blank and then almost 7 hours over 2 days to get it in some what symmetrical shape. Used a gouge for the roughing part and then a hobby knife for the carving.

Now I need help in choosing a finish for it. The wood I think is pine. I am leaning towards a transparent finish to show the pattern.

Anything around the house I can use?-- As the local hardware store has rather large tins of varnish, which I will waste later.

Was reading the finishing forum posts as well, but most terms went above my beginner head and hence I posted here.

Thanks for reading till here

Ronnie

[bigEd_H]

Hi, Ronnie, you did a great job on your heron. You'll likely get faster as you learn. I know I have. That does indeed look like pine. There are a number of things you could use to finish it. I lean toward Johnson's paste wax for a natural finish that highlights the wood and the carving itself. Some of the members use Feed & Wax. Then also you could start with an oil such as BLO (boiled linseed oil) or Tung oil. Then follow up with a spray-on poly like Deft to preserve the finish.

Ed

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Excellent job Ronnie, like Ed said tung oil would finish it up great !

Dave

[Claude]

Ronnie:
Welcome to the forum! As a stylized bird, I think it looks pretty good!.

Pine is notoriously difficult to carve (at least, I think so) because of the hard/soft/hard/soft grain structure. Basswood is much better. I notice you're in the UAE. Look around for some broken pallets - basswood is often used for the 4 in by 4 in parts of the pallet - an almost white wood, with just a little cream/light yellow color to it and almost no noticeable grain. If you're able to get decent US mail or international UPS or Fedex, you might consider buying some wood from Heinecke Wood Products They have just about the best basswood for sale anywhere, in my opinion.

You might also consider getting the beginner's kit from Little Shavers: Little Shavers Wood Carving Supply The kit has knife, gouges, safety glove, etc., and the tools arrive SHARP.

Claude