Help about wax or sealing

[Cheechb77]

Hi there,

In the magazine a lot of people talk about waxing or sealing their carving before painting. what would be the purpose of this? and after painting? and what are the best waxers and/or sealers to use? ex.// shoe polish, boiled lint seed oil?

Thanks so much, your answers will be a great help

Cheech

[Mitchell]

There is no 'best'....

Because you used "sealing" in your title, there is a list of similar threads at the bottom of the page - there may be some info in there for you to look through.

I sometimes seal before painting so that the paint takes more evenly on the surface of the carving - instead of soaking into the grain and running into places that I don't want it to be.

Also, it helps keep paint from soaking into endgrain more than on the sides.

I've used BLO and marketed sealers with some success. I've also 'prepainted' my pieces with a light wash of paint as a preparation method. Raw Sienna or Burnt Sienna would be colors to use, as an example.

Whichever method you think you may want to try - do it on a practice piece first.

After painting, well it's been addressed here quite often - you may want to search around. Use the search function with the word(s) "antiquing" or "finishing your carving". Or you could just look through the "Finishing and Painting" forum.... link here - Wood Finishing and Painting

[mpounders]

I think the waxing always comes after the paint or finish is dry. Some people use a darker wax to create a nice antique look. Some people do use shoe polish and there is also a tinted product called Briwax. I occasionally use a product called "Wax & Feed" after I complete a cane, to put a nice feel and shine to it. Smells good too, because of the orange oil.

[brent]

Are you sealing to finish a carving or are you doing it to prevent checking on the ends of the lumber or logs?

[Cheechb77]

Hi Brent,

What does checking the ends of the lumber or logs mean? i've only started carving 2 months ago .

Thanks,

Cheech

[mpounders]

If you carve freshly cut wood that you found, such as logs or sticks for canes,etc., then it still has a lot of moisture in the wood, unlike the dried lumber that you purchase. Bigger pieces and certain species cane be prone to splitting or developing cracks (checking) as they dry out. So there are a lot of different ways to try and control this in order to still have usable wood that doesn't have big cracks in it. Sealing the cut ends with wax, paint, or some other finish can reduce the cracks. A rule of thumb is to allow 1 year of air drying for every inch of thickness for most woods. You can also carve wood while it is still green, which can make it easier to carve, but you run a risk of cracks and splits developing later. The waxed or painted ends are cut off when the wood has dried and is ready for use. Hope this helps!

[brent]

Originally Posted by mpounders

If you carve freshly cut wood that you found, such as logs or sticks for canes,etc., then it still has a lot of moisture in the wood, unlike the dried lumber that you purchase. Bigger pieces and certain species cane be prone to splitting or developing cracks (checking) as they dry out. So there are a lot of different ways to try and control this in order to still have usable wood that doesn't have big cracks in it. Sealing the cut ends with wax, paint, or some other finish can reduce the cracks. A rule of thumb is to allow 1 year of air drying for every inch of thickness for most woods. You can also carve wood while it is still green, which can make it easier to carve, but you run a risk of cracks and splits developing later. The waxed or painted ends are cut off when the wood has dried and is ready for use. Hope this helps!

This was the reason for my question.

[Claude]

Another thing that can be done to green wood to prevent cracks is to use a water replacement chemical. Here's a reference for you: http://owic.oregonstate.edu/pubs/peg.pdf

Since PEG is relatively costly, here's another tip: Put your piece of wood in a plastic trash bag, being careful to not poke holes in the bag. Place this bag and wood in a large tub that is deep enough that the whole piece of wood can be covered. Fill the tub (but not the bag) with water so that the bag is pressed tightly against the wood. Now pour the PEG into the bag so it covers the wood, and then seal the top of the bag with some twisters. Since wood floats, you'll probably have to put a weight of some sort on top of the wood to keep it submerged. The object of all this is, of course, to create a "form-fitting" bag for the wood so you don't have to buy 25 gallons of PEG to cover the wood. In all likelyhood, a gallon is plenty...

Claude

[Mitchell]

I don't think he was concerned about checking in green wood since he specified "before painting".

[Cheechb77]

thank you all great advice
cheech