[AlArchie]

Yes

I use Minwax prestain wood conditioner, let it dry overnight and then brush with a scrub brush. That gets rid of the fuzz. the paint will soak in, but will flow nice and even.

woody01

[AlArchie]

Lorax, I probably don't know all that much, but have had some sucess and a few failures with finish. Sooooo.....for an extremely durable outdoor finish, I'd go with a poly/spar marine varnish, such as Minwax Helmsman. There are probably some better marine varnishes, but this stuff is generaly available in most hardware stores, whereas you may have to find a marine supply to get most others.

The absolutely toughest stuff I've found is the marine two part epoxy finishes. They come in a variety of colors, but I haven't seen any in sizes less than a quart, and this stuff is pricey.

If you are going to use your sculpture outside in the sun, make sure you usea UV resistant paint or you will have a bit of color loss. The spar varnishes will help prevent this.

Also, if you are using pine, that has a high pitch content, and put it in the sun, expect some blistering, as the heat fom the sun will vaporize some of the more volatile oils in the pitch and force the finish to bulge with little (or big) gas bubbles. I learned this one the hard way, and I now have a carosel style frog that needs repair.

You should be able to finish acrylic with marine varnish, once the primarys have cured, although, you may get a slight amont of yellowing, as the piece ages. If it's outside, this should not be a problem, as weathering will enhance the piece.

Bringing the piece in, in the winter, is a good idea, cuz even the best of finishes, and the wood itself will shrink in the extreme cold, and may cause surface cracks that will allow water penetration.

If you use a varnish over a gloss enamel, you may run into problems with adhesion, unless you go over ALL the enamel with a 0000 steel wool to break the glaze.

I've made a sign or two that have been outdoors for several years now and have stood up to 90+degree to -40 degree temps, with that marine finish. and had that frog's finish fail while inside but in the sun.

A lot will depend on what Murphy has to say, but you can limit the failures by following the manufatures directions closely. Watch the 'dry' and 'cure' time rcommendations, You can't cheat on these, or you will guarantee a failed finish in a hurry! On the other hand, experiment around a bit. I'm still oooking for new uses for old finishes.

Al

I sand my basswood sticks with 150 grit followed by 220 grit. No problems with 'fuzzing' yet. I also paint with acrylics and finish with clear enamel spray.

Cliff

Thanks, Cliff. I think I'm getting a little better at it. I was sanding with the dremel, and it just brought up all kinds of fuzz. I started sanding it by hand, using first 220, then 400, then finishing with 2000. I'm also letting more of my chisel marks show on the basswood pieces I do - I was trying to sand it the same as pine, and it just isn't the same wood. I also find that if I soak the piece with water first, my acrylics or watercolors soak into the wood with uniformity.

Live and learn - and I'm using more basswood these days :-)

Teri

[Bandaid]

Hi SantaCarvinLady... I'm curious how long, or to what degree, you soak your carvings prior to painting? Do you soak the whole piece or just the area to be painted at the time? How about after you have applied a coat and want to do a second one, do you wet the surface?
As a fan of your work I hope you don't mind all the questions. By the way have you ever given any thought to putting out a how-to book? If you haven't you should.

Thanks, Bandaid...lol....I wouldn't even know how to go about doing a how-to manual - I couldn't teach a rock to sink.

As for the basswood, I just keep a spray bottle next to me and give the area I'm going to paint a good soaking (dripping wet). Yes, I re-wet it with every layer of paint - except for the final layer of details.

Teri

:P I'm glad you posted this as I was thinking the same thing. I was told just to either paint it or use natural beeswax (or stain it but I have been told that it sometimes does not work out). I have also been told that analitic dyes (I think its spelled right ) work well and of course adrylic will work great to.

[Bandaid]

Thx. SCL...When my carvings are finished and it comes to painting I seem to get a mental block, so I need all the help I can get. Thanks again and all the best in the Noo Year to you and yours.

No problem - you know, I learned to paint just by picking up all sorts of painting books along the way. There are so many techniques out there - you just keep the ones you like and throw away the rest. Pick up a few simple painting books - even those for tole painters will do. The techniques are there....you can simply adapt them to painting in the round.

Teri