sealing bass wood

[Rich2008]

I have a question about bass wood warping. Is it better to seal the bass wood with spray poly, sanding sealer, etc; before drawing the pattern on in pencil, or sealing it after pattern is transferred or drawn, BEFORE STARTING TO CARVE? I have been using the pattern transfer tool (heat) to apply the toner printed pattern, so would it be best for me to transfer the pattern to the unsealed wood first, then seal it right away before carving? A little confused here!

Thanks;
Rich

[pallin]

I do not seal basswood until after carving (before finishing).

[arick]

Me too. I finish the carving, spray a coat of sealer on it and let it dry for 24 hours. (if its an animal, don't forget to mask over the eyes). I then give it a light sanding and spray a second coat and let it dry for 24 hours before laying down a base coat of Gesso.

[oldbearx2]

I too seal after carving using a 50/50 mix of laquer paint thinner and Deft wood finish. If there is a lot of detail I usually give it at least three coats. I then use thinned Gesso to help the paint stick. Because I use glass eyes in my animal carvings I seal over the eyes and then use an exato knife to remove the paint and sealer. On my caricatures I spray matte finish on after painting.

[Rich2008]

I'm sorry I didn't explain this too clearly. My fault! I was referring to chip carving, not in the round type of carving. My bass wood practice boards are warping so I was looking for a way to stop this from happening.

Thanks again;
Rich

[oldbearx2]

You can try sealing the end grain before you start the carving. How thin is the wood and is it dry? That would be a couple other things to think about.

[Downeast]

Hi there,

I'm a chip carver also, and have had the same probem from time to time. Your problem is more correctly called "cupping" and is caused by the board drying out more on one side than the other. There is a way to correct it:

Lay your piece on a table. Take a hand towel or bath towel and soak it in water. Wring out most of the water and lay over the piece. Use a dry steam iron (on high) and iron the towel until it is very nearly dry. Flip the piece over, resoak the towel and repeat the process. If the cupping is only slight you have probably fixed it by now. If not, repeat the process always on both sides. If after three or four tries, it is not corrected, leave it for two days and start the process again. You are allowing the wood fibers to expand and contract as necessary to return to the original cutting plane.

After you've corrected the problem, stand the piece up and let it dry (both sides simultaneously) for two days. Then seal.

This procedure also fixes the little dings I sometimes get from my thumbnail, and those nuisance undercuts that come along now and then will disappear. It can be done before you start the piece of after you carve it.

Hope this helps,

Wayne

[Rich2008]

Thanks Wayne;
I shall try this, that is if I can sneak Momma's iron out to the shop! Good to know info here.

Rich

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I use spray Deft for about everything.....semi gloss mostly

[meipo]

Hi, Wayne!

I have had the same problem with my chip carvings. I have only used the iron and a wet towel to remove dinks on wood. If I understand it correctly, basically we are "steaming" the wood cells back to to regain the old shape. Sometimes the wood cell can over-expand slightly, and I have to sand it down a little afterwards.

If we iron a wet towel on chip carved boards, do we have to worry about possibly losing the shape of the cuts? Also, will the fibers of the wood surface stand up and give a rough feel after being ironed?

meipo