[kcottini]

I got some advise that I should post my question in this forum as well, so here it is. I have attached a photo of my carving of a horse. It stands about 36 inches tall and is one piece of wood, mahogany I think. The very base of the carving has a crack (actually two) but I've put an arrow on the photo to show where the worst one is. It does not currently extend beyond the base of the carving, but if you look underneath, it it split to about the center of the base. I don't know what, if anything, I can do about it but am very worried about the carving and would love some advice. I also asked about what I should be treating the carving with. Currently I'm using lemon oil. Thanks for anything you can tell me. You can reach me at the link:
kcottini@frontiernet.net
Kristy

[A Willburger]

I am sorry about the horse. I have carved for twenty years and never put anything on them after they are sealed. You have to be careful with anything that is made of wood. Keep it away from heat such as a fireplace or radiator and even direct sunlight. A carving should be in a place were the temperature does not change rapidly. The wood might have been still wet when you received it and now it's drying. The way I fix cracks is to make very thin wedges of the same type of wood and glue and tap the wedge into the crack then cut the excess away but I do this before I seal the wood. Maybe someone else has another suggestion.
Andy

[brianh]

The wedge solution as said above works well, with some care in matching the wood they can be invisible.

I do not see the picture but if you have room drill up the center of the base as far up the carving as you can go to relieve drying stress.

A piece that large may still have a high moisture content.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

I wouldn't do anything to it. We have a large collection of African wooden carvings that we picked up when we were working over there and there are cracks in just about every one of them as they were carved while the wood was green. To me it only adds to the beauty of the piece. One of my favorites is a Makonde carving from Tanzania where all these little guys are climbing up a piece of Ebony. One of the arms of one figure snapped right in two due to the tension in the piece. There is no way to fix it so I just admire it as it is and how the carver was able to complete it without it breaking when he did it using only a piece of an old file sharpened on a rock.

[Doug Ridley]

I agree with Lynn. A crack now and then in a carving is natural and just gives it character.
Doug

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

What Lynn and Doug said! It is, after all wood and as such deserved a few imperfections.

[TreeWizard]

I would clamp the crack togather, cut a bowtie dutchman about 1/2" deep into the base and fill it with a maple or beech dutchman.

[qhdesigner]

Thank you all for your suggestions about the monkey I purchased in Bali. I think I will leave it alone and just move it to a location where it will not be as subject to temperature/humidity changes.
You are all a kind and supportive group.
Thank you again.
Janie/qhdesigner