[Captain_Bandaid]

Well, I am about to embark on an ambitious project (for me). I am going to carve a 12' Greenman in Basswood. BUT....before I begin, what should I use to finish it? Paint? Stain? Can anyone offer some suggestions? I see many Greenmen done in oak or butternut and a natural oil finish looks great on figured wood but what to I do to basswood that is consistent with the theme of the carving?

[pinefeathers]

O.K. Cap'n, Ya done it again! I'll bite - What is a Greenman??? I can visualize a little green elf, a leprechaun, or perhaps that guy pictured on a can of beans.
AS for the finish, why not try crushed peas - AKA split pea porridge. Seriously, basswood takes stains very nicely - either acrylic or oils - and also looks good with a clear varnish applied. Most European carvings are left with a clear finish which enhances the natural beauty of the wood.

[mdallensr]

If we're talking about the same Green men as Chris Pye, look at this page and see some examples:
http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/.../gallery8.html

BTW, Chris Pye has a free internet news letter that's worth reading, and he has a subscription periodical that is supposed to be good, but I haven't coughed up the dough yet to see it. His books are wonderful.

[Captain_Bandaid]

??? Ok, Â*a greenman is a human face with the eyes, nose and mouth showing through leaves that comprise the hair, moustache and beard. Â*The very same character as seen on Chris Pye's site. Â*I have not had good results using oil stain on basswood and may consider using acrylics to paint, shade and texture the wood. Â*Clear oil on basswood is rather un-interesting most of the time but maybe with all the detail in the leaves, a clear finish would be ok.....or.......maybe I should chrome plate it! Â*:P Anyway, a visit to Chris Pye's website is worthwhile. I posted an e-mail question to him on his site and he responded with a long, personal e-mail. Wonderful carver and a great guy.

[AlArchie]

You might try an aniline dye; they come in quite a few colors, mix with either water or alcohol (different types of dye) and can be mixed to any degree of coverage you want from just a hint of color to almost solid, but the grain will still show through. I haven't used it myself, but several of our carving club members use it with amazing results.

Al

In his book (elements of woodcarving ) by Chris Pye, Chris carved a shirt out of sycamore and finished it with a clear shellac and then several light coats of beeswax for a light sheen.
I have carved sycamore and it isn't that much different than basswood so I would think the same type of finish should also be comparable. (I always painted mine)
Do you have Chris Pye's book?
If not you don't know what you are missing. After buying his book, I too, became interested in carving a greenman, but so far , haven't got past the thinking stage. Good luck on your project and let us know how things go.

[Captain_Bandaid]

I'm warming to the idea of an oil finish. The leaves are all acanthus leaves with a lot of relief. Maybe paint would detract from the carving. I don't have Chris Pye's book but might just have to order it. His web site shows some amazing carvings.

Sorry it took so long to reply.
Purchasing Chris Pye's book would bring you great pleasure Captain. Judging by the way you like to go to great depths while researching a subject, this book will take you to where you like to be. It deals with every aspect of carving a green man, as well as giving some backgroung on how the green man came to be. (history in laymans terms)
But for those of you who don't want to carve a green man, I still recommend this book to people in all levels of carving. The lessons to be learned here are many. Some of which are passed down from mentors of Chris's.
Even if you don't carve, once you have read this book , I'm sure you will want to try.

This is a link to a wonderful example of 'Green Man' carved into an elaborate box. I don't know who the carver is, but they display at medieval reenactments.
This is something I would like to aspire to.

and then I forgot to post the link....sorry http://www.endhome.com/Pennsic/Sights/woodcarving.htm