new member to message board !

[Mill Ryan]

thank you Hi-Ho for the info.. you're a dear to help me out

Hello All .....

my name is Mill and I have been carving since the early 90's. I have the very first Woodcarving Illustrated magazine ever published ! I love it.

I started carving using 2x4's and 2x6's that my dad had in his workshop. This is before I learned about basswood so I use it now. I also started out using Xacto knives before I got a few real carving knives ! (still use x-acto also)

Every once in awhile I collect 'found wood' ... drift wood, old tree limbs. I carve on these also.

I do have a question, - What type of finish can I put on my found wood to preserve the gray-silverly patina ? A few of my small pieces turned dark and I don't like it. Any helpful suggestions will be greatly appreciated !

everyone have a nice weekend !

Mill

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, Mill. It's nice to have you here. I've been told that oil finishes tend to darken wood while water based finishes tend not to. I've used water based polyurethane on some of my sticks to keep them from getting too dark. You may want to experiment with it.

Please post some pictures of some of your work when you get a chance.

[CarverFromNoWhere]

Hello Mill welcome to the WCI Board, now ya got me envious the very first issue Baby even I don't have that one. Lets see on my driftwood I like to use deft in a spray can make sure to wear a respirator and probably do it outside if possible, it seems to get onto everything. It will darken it a small amount not much that I have noticed. Looking forward to seeing pics of ya work. If ya have any questions just ask no such thing as a dumb question only stupid questions are the ones never asked.
Carl

[Donna_T]

Welcome, Mill,
Wow, going from 2x4s to basswood........what a change. But, I'd guess if you can made a good carving out of pine 2x4s, you can make anything out of basswood and even found wood.

Once I get my found wood cleaned up, I just spritz it with clear lacquer or Deft--matt, satin, or gloss, depending on the look I want. It still darkens a bit. I've also used wax on some of it and it doesn't seem to change the color much, but I reserve this for fairly smooth wood.

Donna T