Seeking advice

kcottini · #1 04-12-2008, 03:32 PM

Hi there, I'm new to your site but I sure am impressed with it! I'm a very amateur carver myself, however right now, I could use some help and advise about a gift. I received a beautiful carving as a wedding gift (that I believe was quite expensive) of a horse. It is quite large, measuring from base to tip of the ear at 34 inches. Unfortunately I know little about the person that created the piece but was told it was carved from a solid piece of mahogany. I regularly treat the wood with lemon oil as instructed. The horse is standing on a carved platform (however i do believe it was all one piece of wood) and at the very bottom there are three hairline cracks that have shown up (I've had the piece about 8 months). If I look underneath, the cracks go midway into the bottom of the carving. It's sort of hard to explain without seeing the piece so I've attached a photo. QUESTION is, what should I do about the cracks? I'm also wondering if lemon oil in fact is the best thing to be using on the carving. THANKS! Kristy

Gergie · #2 04-12-2008, 04:53 PM

Hi Kristy, I don't see any attachments. Without looking at the piece and seeing it up close it would be hard to see what's going on. I would contact someone in your area that knows wood. Could be a woodcarver or woodworker. They may have answers.

It could be many reasons, Wood carved wet, Maybe displayed by a heat source like aheater vent, sunlight, etc. Good luck on fixing this problem. Rich,

Mottles · #3 04-12-2008, 10:57 PM

Hi Kristy and welcome, here is a link on uploading images to this site. See if it doesn't help you. Sounds like a beautiful carving and I would love to see it.
Posting Photos
Kathy

kcottini · #4 04-21-2008, 10:15 PM

Kathy,
Thanks for the tip on the photo. Would you let me know if this worked and you got the photo. I put an arrow on the photo to show where the crack is in the piece. On the top, it only extends about 1/2 inch, but on the bottom it extends about to the middle of the base. I'm sick over it and don't know how to keep it from cracking more. I also need to know if lemon oil is the right thing to treat the wood with. I think this was in part caused by the lack of humidity in my house this winter which we heat with a wood stove? I've put almost two bottles of lemon oil on it now and I think I've about reach saturation point for the time being. Thanks for any help you can give me. You can also reach me at kcottini@frontiernet.net
Thanks. Kristy

kcottini · #5 04-21-2008, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gergie

Hi Kristy, I don't see any attachments. Without looking at the piece and seeing it up close it would be hard to see what's going on. I would contact someone in your area that knows wood. Could be a woodcarver or woodworker. They may have answers.

It could be many reasons, Wood carved wet, Maybe displayed by a heat source like aheater vent, sunlight, etc. Good luck on fixing this problem. Rich,

Rich, I'm not sure how this "reply to thread" works, but I'm trying to get you a photo of my piece. Did this work? Thanks. Kristy

Mottles · #6 04-22-2008, 04:19 PM

Hi Kristy, boy that is a nice carving and I can see why the crack concerns you. I'm going to give you a link to another forum on this site Wood Finishing and Painting - Woodcarving Illustrated Message Board go to that forum and post your question with a link back to this page. There just might be some folks who will have suggestions for you. It might be that the crack will have to remain and just enjoy this beautiful piece. Some carvers don't let cracks bother them and include them in the work (worked around a crack). As it's in the base it shouldn't go up into the horse.
Anyway give these folks a chance to comment.
Kathy