How do you WASH your work?

[Ed N]

by the time I finish carving a piece it is pretty dirty. I seem to use pencil a lot and the graphite smears and really makes the piece dirty looking. Before I paint it I always wash it with water and mild soap but the grain swells and pops up in some places. Is there a better way to wash wood?
Thanks in advance,
Ed

[Bartster]

mild soap is ok to use the key is to not soak your carving, when i wash my carvings instead of using soap i use SIMPLE GREEN, i learned this from the Bishops, it seems to clean it better, it doesnt leave a soapy film on the carvings that is harder to wash off,another thing i do is when i rinse the carving is to have a towel handy, i kinda wrap the carving in the towel and squeeze it lightly {dont want to break anything} and this gets alot of water out of the carving. hope this helps.

bart

[Buffalo Bif]

I use hand soap warm water and a toothbrush, like Bart I have a towel and a paper towel handy gto get as much surface water off as possible. I don't sand, knife cuts only, so have had no issues with grain raising.

[Ed Redwine]

I like Dawn... takes the oil from your hands off easily. Just as the others said, don't soak it just wipe with with dampened cloth and soap. Works for me.

[Dan S]

I'm with all of the above. If you use dishsoap use white or clear soap. The colored stuff will stain your wood!
Dan

[Donna_T]

Ed,
I've learned that even my carving glove gets soiled so I wash it out periodically to keep it from transferring more soil to my carving.
Donna_T

[Ed N]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I appreciate it.

Ed

[davidinsarasota]

Bare wood is veritable sponge for grime. I wash my hands, especially the meaty side near the pinky since I find I often rest it on the carving while guiding a gouge. I keep a squeeze bottle of alcohol and a roll of Bounty on my work bench. I clean my hands with the alcohol several times during a carving session because I suspect even the top layer of skin can be transferred to the wood. I also use the alcohol and p towels to clean the handles of the tools I am working with periodically, and all tools get a cleaning once every few months.

I know it seems obsessive, but these procedures are barely enough to keep the wood clean.

One final item steel dust from sharpening and stropping penetrates the wood instantly, so I clean shafts and tips when I strop and sharpen away from the carving area.

[K Karver]

Originally Posted by davidinsarasota

Bare wood is veritable sponge for grime. I wash my hands, especially the meaty side near the pinky since I find I often rest it on the carving while guiding a gouge. I keep a squeeze bottle of alcohol and a roll of Bounty on my work bench. I clean my hands with the alcohol several times during a carving session because I suspect even the top layer of skin can be transferred to the wood. I also use the alcohol and p towels to clean the handles of the tools I am working with periodically, and all tools get a cleaning once every few months.

I know it seems obsessive, but these procedures are barely enough to keep the wood clean.

One final item steel dust from sharpening and stropping penetrates the wood instantly, so I clean shafts and tips when I strop and sharpen away from the carving area.

Interesting observations. Worth reflecting on.