Chip carving and stains

[Peter Wright]

Hi,

I am finishing up some Basswood chip carving work and thought maybe I could get some suggestions on types of stain to use to enchance the shadow effects of the chip carvings?

Any thoughts or images would be greatly appreciated!

[papasar]

Pete,
I mostly use Minwax Gel stains Colonial maple, antique maple and aged oak. The stain will be darker in the cuts than on the surface. The surface will also stain darker the longer you let it remain before wiping. If I want the surface to stay a lighter color then I sand and poly the surface 2 or 3x's. Beware, aged oak will change the surface slightly even over the poly. The darker color also has a tendency to wick under the poly. To avoid this I use Minwax Tung Oil Treatment prior to staining and before the oil dries. Works for me. Hope this helps.
Bill K.

[Peter Wright]

Bill

Thanks for the reply!

I am specifically looking for a Maple or Pecan shade and think that your technique/idea will work very well.

Nothing too drastic, just a little change

thanks again!

[CarverRog]

I use a technique similar to Bills and it works for me also. I have found that the thicker the gel stain is the less chance of it wicking this is due to less of the liquid which is the vehicle. Good Luck!