Problem sealing a carving

[Dan C]

I just carved a 12" tall wizard. I painted it with acrylics and then coated it with 50/50 BLO/turpentine and let it dry overnight. Then I sprayed it with 2 light coats of Krylon Matte Finish (1311).

My problem is that after about 48 hours, the carving is still a little tacky to the touch. I've put it in front of a fan for hours, put it in front of a warm air register for hours, and let it sit in the sunshine in a window. Still a little tacky.

I don't think I put too much on, but it was kind of hard to tell when I was spraying it. It didn't develop runs or anything like that.

My plan is to put on some liquid wax when it dries.

What I'm wondering is if there would be a problem if I put the liquid wax on over the slightly tacky Krylon Matte Finish. Maybe the wax would just take care of the tackyness, but I'm not sure.

I guess what I'm looking for is the voice of experience. Are there others who have done what I did who could give me some advice? Thanks!

Dan C.

[backporchcarver]

When I paint, I sometimes antique things with an antiqueing medium made up of oil paint and BLO,then give it a final finish with light spray of Krylon matte finish(1311). One time, and only one time, when I sprayed it with the krylon, it stayed tacky also. It has been about 4 years and it is still tacky! I love the painting(its a wooden bowl) so I just keep it but don't use it for anything. I would also love to know what went wrong and is there a fix other than starting over.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

The important thing to remember is that BLO never really dries completely. I think this is where your problem is. Also, you should be very careful not to mix completely different kinds of finishes. I'm not really sure what the chemical makeup of Krylon is but I know it's different than Deft or Polyurethane sprays. Ideally you should stick with one type of finish to seal your carving.

[AlArchie]

Lynn is right on the drying (or non-drying of blo. some folks have luck putting polyurethane (which is what Krylon is) over blo but over night is not long enough for the blo to cure, not just dry. And I'd bet that the 50/50 mix with the turps also preventyed a proper cure. Maybe a week or so will settle the thing down. I sure wouldn't put a wax over a tacky surface, though. You'll want a fully cured surface for that...just wait it out, it should come around eventually.

Al

[rales]

I too am wondering why the BLO/Turp and then the acrylic? You are basically sandwiching an oil between two acrylic based coats - it's probably going to float for awhile - but it should stabalize over time. I think the Krylon alone or a spray lacquer (deft) would have been fine. You don't want to brush lacquer as a topcoat.

Krylon is pretty secretive as far as what's in their products - but it's basically a solvent based acrylic - synthetic lacquer. Pretty good stuff - been around forever and we use it heavily used in the graphics industry.

[Dan C]

Thanks all for your comments.

Part of my problem is that I thought I knew what I had done before, and so I just went ahead and sprayed on the Krylon. I need to dig out my notes. I haven't finished that many pieces. I THINK now, that in the past, I sprayed on some DEFT semi-gloss, let that dry, and THEN sprayed on the Krylon. So maybe that works better. I'm definitely going to go and look at my notes.

So, anyway, at this point, I'm going to do as Al suggested, and let the carving sit for a week or two and see if that helps. Meanwhile, I'll go ahead and take a few pictures and post them tomorrow. Thanks again!

Dan C.

[Dan C]

Lynn - do you have a standard method that you use to finish all your pieces? I'm just wondering if I should stay away from BLO period. Perhaps the sequence of acrylic paint and then Deft semi-gloss to seal is all I need to do.

I've always used BLO because its been the way I've been taught in some classes I've taken, but I agree with you, it really never seems to totally cure, which to me is really not a good thing. I guess I'd just like to come up with a standard full-proof way of doing things.

I guess also, BLO is supposed to make the colors pop out. Anyway it would be nice to know what your standard method is. Thanks!

Dan C.

[big dave]

try howard's feed and wax, then spray with deft. blo stinks and might set your shop on fire

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Dan C: whether you realize it or not you just opened up that can of worms about BLO and especially my thoughts about it. As far as it's use in carving I'll stick with my first post about it ..."I hate it!" I would never, ever put it on a carving or let it anywhere near one. It's a disgusting hangover from days gone by that for some reason we just can't seem to give up. There are much better ways to finish up your carving to prevent just the type of problem you're experiencing.

I've been using Minwax Polyurethane Satin finish for 40 years and have never experienced a problem with it. I don't use the spray version as there is no way to control a spray except if your applying it to a perfectly flat surface. I brush on a very thin coat the use a paper towel to wipe off the excess, shiney spots. This gives a nice even coat to the piece. Another tip is to only buy the little cans of the Poly as it will thicken over time and from my experience you'll toss out half of the can before it's used. The best way to determine when to go buy a new can is to take note of the color when you first open the can. It should be clear, thin, with just a slight amber tint. You want it thin so it soaks in and that amber tint will give your piece a nice warm appearance. Once it turns dark and thickens toss it.

I don't use Deft except for bases as it just dries too fast to get a good result. It's hard to brush because of this and again, the spray in not controllable.

Krylon might be a polyurethane based medium but it's got some extra chemicals in it that for some reason don't mix well with the others. I use it too but not on my carvings.

These are just my thoughts on what to use and I'm sure others will soon chime in on their perferences.

[AlArchie]

I'm not Lynn, but instead of trying to use more than one finish coat, why not use JUST one? A polyurethane varnish, either brushed or sprayed on will "pop" those colors splendidly, as will a simple application of brush on or spray lacquer.

If you are going to insist on using two different coats, try a good sanding sealer first, then the poly. If you use a lacquer over a sanding sealer it will bubble up....likewise if you use a lacquer over a poly.

When finishing my carvings I simply use a spray on poly such as Krylon. It dries quickly and can be recoated at any time. Minwax makes a very good poly, too, but it has to be recoated within 2 hours or wait for 72 hours before recoating.......it will crackle if recoated outside those parameters.

There are lots of excellent carvers who use BLO but I just can't see any advantage in this age of "other" finishes. It is used to impart an antique look to some carvings and is an excellent treatment for tool handles, "working" walking sticks, etc, but there are many newer and (better?) methods of antiquing, too. Purists will stick to the BLO, so the choice is yours.

Al

Al