[Mischief]

Just glanced through err 24 issues of WCI and I sure didnt see anything on it, but I could have been blind in my excitement. How about an article on " Finishes- a comparison" showing pictures of identical carvings with different finishes e.g blo, varnish( oil and water), shelac, poly, shoe wax, motor oil??.hmm what else is there....ahhh that China guys resin.

Just a thought

[Lynn O. Doughty]

While that experiment might be a good one it would not really answer the questions about how these finishes would last over time. To me that is the most determining factor. You can take a piece of Basswood and put it under the faucet and pretty well see how it would look if it were varnished, BLO'd, waxed or whatever. However, we certainly wouldn't rely on water as a finish. Wax gives a good appearance as long as it's fairly fresh and buffed, however it has to be constantly reapplied to maintain a good appearance. BLO looks good when first applied but overtime it turns chalky, collects dust and contray to popular belief never realy dries completely. Shoe wax? Motor Oil? Surely we can do better than that. Shelac, while I use it as a sealer when staining bases I would never consider putting it on a carving.

To me, the ideal finish is one that is applied once, dries hard, doesn't collect dust and doesn't change the looks of the piece it's applied to. A good Polyurethane varnish, properly applied will fill these requirements. I have pieces I applied this coating to back when I first started carving in the early 70's and they look just as good now as they did then. As I've sold a large number of pieces I know by looking at the older pieces I still have that those carvings setting on the shelves or display stands in others homes look just as clean and crisp as they day I placed them in their hands. That's what they pay for and that's what I try to give me.

[Mischief]

Would be fun for an issue in 3 years time? ( how many years do you think we need before we can see the effects of age and sunshine?)
The other thing I was interested in how does finishes looked against bare wood and against painted wood. I was hoping it would be a carving with bare wood parts and painted parts.
Lol...and maybe a comparison of "BOOM! into flames" fact.

Do you use Water Based Poly or Oil Base lynn?

[Kenny_S]

I use mostly Deft Satin or Semi Gloss for a finish. I use blo after painting , let dry, the a couple of coats of Deft Satin or Semi Gloss. Not on all carvings.

Just a preferrence of what one likes to use. What works for me may not be the "idea finish" for others. Ask 10 carvers that question and you get 100 different answers.

Personally, I don't think there is such a thing as the "IDEA finish".

[Mischief]

Lol...this is when my grammer teacher would hit me on my knuckles, for poor use of punctuation . I had meant - for article. Finish Comparisons. I have heard many of the preference but wanted to visually see what they all looked liked without going out there and buying all the various finishes.

[wood-whittler]

i agree with kenny, i do not beleive in the ideal finish either it is whatever works for the carver and what they prefer to use on their carvings, it like buying shoes we dont all buy the same kind of shoes and we wont use the same kind of finish. but it would be neat to see the difference in them, different finishes create different tones that will appeal to carvers in a different way.


bart

[Mitchell]

I've done this in the past and often suggest it as a way for others to experiment... Maybe not to the extent that you are suggesting, but at least for comparison of a few 'versions'.

"Trial and error" is a great learning tool.