opinions please?

[buckcrazy]

hi again ya'll ! ive read on here numerous times that you are "youre own worst critic" this is my latest attempt. it started life as a fence post that was stuck in the ground for who knows how many years,holding up a wire fence for who knows what kind o critters,,and all those years this guy was hiding behind a few million wood chips! the wood is cedar and the man who gave me the piece of wood said the fence was probably 60 or so years old,,,and let me tell ya that for being of the conifer family of wood,,,,(from what ive been told ,generally considered a softer wood)that fence post is hard as a rock!!!very small shavings and alot of paitence paid off. after years of hiding he has been exposed.tell me what ya'll think and dont be afraid to criticize,after all thats how we learn and thats what im doing,,,learning.suggestions on the best way to seal the cedar are also more than welcome,,im not a real fan of paint because i like the natural wood look too much.thanks in advance for lookin at my mess,,and for your suggestions.and as always,keep your fingers outta the way and keep on carvin!!

buckcrazy (aka) t bone

[uvawyo]

t bone,
My opinion is that you did a mighty fine job of exposing that dude hiding in that old fene post Found wood is so much fun there are so many things hidden away there

[jmischel]

buckcrazy, that is a very nice carving, and a fitting reward for a fence post that did its thankless job for years on end without complaint. I'm almost inspired to go carve a few of the posts I've taken down and placed in my firewood pile. They're only about 30 years old.

I agree that it would be a crime to hide the wood's true nature behind paint, but I'm far from knowledgeable about sealers. I hope others will chime in with good suggestions.

[mbus1]

Hey Buck,
Nothing wrong with leaving it just as it is!! Natural looks good. I would not paint it, at best perhaps a coat or two of spar varnish cut a bit with thinner to make it soak in if its to go outside at all. If its to stay indoors I would leave it alone, but thats just an opinion. And you know what Clint Eastwood says about opinions!!!

Cheers,
Merryl Bustin

[wildhare]

B'tween you, me and the fencepost, that was worth the time you spent uncovering it. I have to agree with Merryl on the Spar for outside and nothing for the inside.
I like found wood too.
Wanda

[Joy]

That will be a real beauty when you put some sealer....like Danish oil...on it . The sealer will enhance he color.

The only thing I notice is the lip isn't as shaped (rounded) as the rest of the piece.

[Irishman]

That's a nice looking carving T-bone. Found wood has so much character and carving an old woodspirit is very appropriate in that piece of fence post. If there was something specific you wanted assistance or feedback on, I'd be happy to share some suggestions as the members here have helped me over the years. I'm always mindful of the various carvings styles we bring to the forum, and you have your style too. Oil and sealer will look good on that character.
Patrick

[tnartist05]

'T-Bone' that lives about 30 mins from me,I would carve him a few old wrinke lines on his forehead and below his eyes,aging him more seeing hes been in that old fence post for years. You cant put a darker stain on him with it being a old cedar thats hardern for it will turn him really dark,almost black!

Get you some minwax thats Colonial Maple which will give him alittle color and wont be too dark. Any stain doesnt have to be minwax but make sure its "colonial maple" How do I know this?? I've stained alot of old wood,I mean old wood and messed up several old wood spirirts,course then I just paint them! Most of my carving I carved them in old junky found wood.

Hope this might help you some. Heres a old fence post Id carved,stain I used darken him too much and I just painted him them.Now I know to use a Colonial maple finish.You could just use it around the carved out detailed areas,eyes,beard,etc and leave his cheeks as it is,then apply some mineral oil on all of it which would bring it all together. But Use some of your scraps of the wood off the carving to test this all on.

Forrest....... we have alot of Tn.members on this board and Im glad you are here also!! Im not much of a carver but if I can help you any time just buzz me.