difficult wood

[rakau]

Hiya...For a long time I,ve been carving Totara,and because of
the natural oil content of the wood,it is difficult to get a satisfactory
finish,I used to use dark brown shoe polish,which was excellent,that is
the soft paste type,one coat well brushed was ample,unfortunately
it,s unobtainable now,all the shoe polishes now are tan,light,dark or
neutral,and tend to give a ''purplish''hue to the wood.
The only oil that worked,was Rustons,I cant buy it here (NZ)anymore.
Wax is good,but Maori style carving is all grooves,notches,and deep
spirals,and a pain in the butt to clean out.
Polyurethane takes weeks to dry,and tends to promote a white bloom
on the wood,besides, I dont care for the "plastic'' finish.
I am using shellac + meths at the moment,its good,but I,d like to tint
the mixture,has anyone got any ideas.

Jack

[arapsang]

It seems that you are using a basic 'french polishing' technique. This polish is easy to colour using the spirit based stains generally available in craft outlets or serious decorators shops. Wear latex gloves when you mix the stuff, the stains are difficult to clean off your hands. Most books on wood finishing will have helpful sections regarding appropriate techniques. Art shops sell the basic pigments which you could use to make your own personalised shoe polish.

Good Luck

Peter Connor

[Alice in Wonderland]

Just recently somebody gave me an idea about polishing wood. I love natural finished wood
so here ist goes, "use Beewax and generously apply it with a brush (darker wax first) then use a blow dryer on hot and literally melt the wax into the grooves, wipe it off let cool, then use a lighter wax the same way and buff it to a shine.
I have not tried it yet but it will be my next project for sure , I hope it works it sure sounds good to me
Alice

[Ashbys]

Your can use wood dye in the shellac. Just check to make sure it is not a water base. Since your using shellac as your base I would just add it to the can. then you have a base tint , just like paint but you can control the ammount of tint.

Ash

[rakau]

Thank you for the finishing advice,I will try all methods,and keep
you informed.

kia ora........Jack

[Donna_T]

I might add one other alternative to the hair dryer melted wax. I like paste wax as a finish for some carvings, just as I like BLO for other types of carvings. I took some "heat" for my method of applying wax, but here goes.

I take a small glass bowl and fill it about 1/2 full with chunks of paste wax. I put it in the microwave, cover it with a piece of cardboard, and nuke it carefully 2-3 times for 10-15 seconds each time--watching it closely. When about half of it is melted, I take it out and apply it to my carving with a stiff bristle brush--like a stencil or stippling brush. In it's melted/semi-melted state, the wax flows down in the nooks and crannies and somewhat soaks into the wood. Once the whole carving is coated, I let it dry a bit, then I buff it to a lustre.

Now, before you technical kind of folks get all alarmed about starting a fire in my microwave with this petroleum based product, read what I said. I nuke it carefully for a few seconds at a time. I DON'T put it in the microwave for 5 minutes and incinerate it while I'm off eating bon bons. I watch it carefully.

Like much of what you'll read here, it just another way to achieve a finish--if you like it, adopt it. If not, try something else! There really is no one perfect way to achieve a particular finish.

Donna

[Alice in Wonderland]

Donna
this sounds simple enough I shall try it too, do you just use any kind of paste wax?
Alice