[flwoodcarver]

I'm appreciate any advise on the finish I'm thinking to use on a deep relief carving (my first).
The carving is in basswood which, left to its original color, looks unfinished. I read up on some different techniques such as acrylic and linseed oil but finally decide on some spray-on, min-wax stain. My thinking is that the goal is to colour the wood, and the stain will do that. I just have to be sure to apply it evenly and slowly. I was then going to polyurethane it to protect it and use wax on top of that if I need to reduce any shine. Will this method work well or would it be better to use the acrylic paint/water and then add the linseed oil followed by the wax? The carving has a lot of detail i.e., fur, bark, hills, etc. and is pretty deep in some places. Thanks for any advise!

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Check out my Thread "Why I Hate BLO" for a wide-rangeing discussion on various finishes. Personally, I'd go with the POLY as you can apply wax over it and still remove the wax later without affecting the original finish. Linseed oil never really dries and gets dirty over time. You can wax or apply another finish over the top of it but why would you want to apply something over something else that never dries?

Brush the finish instead of spraying it. Spraying is fine if the surface is completely flat but anything that has nooks and crannys will receive an uneven finish with a spray.

Hope this helps.

[Ashbys]

Since your using basswood , and your doing a deep relief , I strongly suggest that you use a wood conditioner before you do anything else.

Basswood , can have such a range of dryness and cuts the effects can be really terrible with stains. Consider it a soft wood and treat it as such. The conditoner will help the finish to stay even. Without it basswood in a relief carving can often be blotchy, the conditioner will help reduce that effect.

You also stated that it is a deep relief. If you aquired the deep relief effect from undercuts more than real depth, chose your stain to enhance the shadows, so look to a lighter color to bring up the shadows. Then use an antique finish to cover the carving which will darken the undercuts adding more depth.

Danish oils work very well on basswood relief carvings , and the antique topcoat will seal the carving and add a light darkener to enhance the shadows. If you want a high glossy finish , after the topcoat has dried use a light coat of varinish, it you want a deep tone without being glossy, wipe it off with a papertowel , this will give you exceptional depth and enchance the carving.

there is no right or wrong , just differences .

Garry

[flwoodcarver]

Thanks very much for the great advise! Just the kind of information I was hoping for.
Dan