[therunt]

ok, so i've just finished carving my first piece, no i need to sand it. there are a few spots that i am kind of afraid to sand because i don't want to break these parts off. so my question is should i do it by hand or with a rotary tool. also once i am done sanding what kind of finish should i use. the wood is pine.

[Kenny_S]

Depends on what effect you are looking for,a sanded look or a not sanded look. Personally, If you are not going to sand the whole carving, don't sand any part.
Sanding can be 0000 steel wool or fine sanding paper, wet or dry kind.
Seen some carvings at carving shows that people did not know if it was done mechancially or carved by hand.
Really, It is up to you and what you think is the best application.
I sand some and some I don't.

[wood-whittler]

what is sanding? i thought it was a sin to sand a carving.


bart

[Kenny_S]

A lot of carvers sand, But will never admit to it!

[Donna_T]

OK, I admit it, I'm a sander. Not even a closet sander...just an outright, admitted sander. But, it depends on the carving as to whether or not I sand it. I don't usually sand a whole carving--just the parts that are rough.

If you have weak fragile areas--like bird beaks, fingers, etc., you need to support those areas with your hand and gently sand manually.

I guess another question is: do you really need to sand the carving, or do you just need to defuzz it. I like to use 3M Scotchbrite pads on wood for this. I like to put little square of it (about 1 1/2" squares) on my little Mini-mite Dremmel, and lightly go over the rough spots. It will take the nits and fuzz off and lightly burnish the carving...too much will obliterate your carving marks and you don't want to do that.

So, sanding isn't all bad. If I was a better carver, I wouldn't need to sand. One of the reasons I like Scotchbrite is that it doesn't leave grit in your carving--grit can dull your tools if you have to go back and do more carving. Oh yes, I generally use the burgandy pads.

Donna T

[Tom H]

Some where along the way I read that a good scrubbing with soap and water with a toothbrush worked to get rid of the fuzzies. I have been doing this and it seems to work just fine. This is the only "sanding" that I do. Maybe I am missing something. TOM H

[Donna_T]

Oh, yes, I forgot. SOmetimes you can just rub the carving briskly with a crumpled up brown paper bag and that eliminates the fuzzies and gives an awesome patina to the wood.

Although I like to do that after I've painted the carving--and use it to add luster to the carving rather than a sprayed on finish.

Donna T

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

There is no right way, or no wrong way, either with sanding or finishing. Do it the way you want and it's perfect. Don't worry about what anybody else thinks. It your carving, do it your way. (Unless you plan on entering it a competition, then you need to do it their way if your planning on winning).

[squbrigg]

For sanding something with delicate parts, in Pine, either will work, power or by hand. I often will glue sandpaper to small sticks to get into cracks and crevases, or shapes. You can even carve a stick to the desired shape and then glue on the sandpaper. Whatever works. Power sanding will work, with a very light touch. Pine is soft, so you can remove a lot of wood by accident, if you're not careful.

To finish.....depends. A couple of coats of Danish Oil or Tung Oil, followed by paste wax. Or a couple of light coats of varathane, with a little light sanding in between. First coat of varathane might work better if cut 50/50, to raise any grain.

Good luck.

Bob

[whitecree]

I hate sanding. Boy oh boy, do I ever hate it.



Dremel tools make a tedious chore go faster, but be aware that even at a slow speed, a sanding disc or drum on a dremel will chew through wood very quickly.

For those lighter, delicate parts, hand sanding with a fine paper is best.

Of course, if you have a nice looking knife-finish, why sand at all?