CORRECTION! To Cottonwood Washing...Sorry!

[wildflower]

Ooooopps! I Boo~booed agin!

I spoke personally to the fella at our carving club this morning who washes his cottonwood bark pieces...this is how he does it:
Run a bit of warm water and mild dish detergent into the sink. Take a regular type paint brush and scrub your piece with the soap & water solution making sure you get in all the cracks and crevices. Do not immerse the piece in the water. Rinse by quickly running the piece under warm, running water. Gently shake off excess water then set out to dry over night...can be set under a lamp to speed drying. The next day, APPLY WAX with a standard paint brush
(he uses beeswax), again, making sure it gets into all cracks and crevices...let set for 20 minutes or so then go back in with a clean, standard paint brush and brush off any excess wax, wiping the brush off onto a rag as you go...let dry over night. The next day take a very soft bristle paint brush (perhaps something similar to a Japanese Hake brush) and buff wax well with brush. Apply "Deft" spray to finish. This method is also used over any of the natural bark surface left exposed. This method of washing will bring out the deep red colour and grain of the bark. I've seen his whimsical houses and they are beautiful!

I'll be finishing my woodspirit with this method within the next few days and will let you all know how it turns out.....and I'll submit some pix as soon as I can get them. I promise!!!

Happy Washing!

Leslie

[CREID]

Looking forward to it Leslie.
Curt

[big dave]

sound's like a lot trouble to me when all you need is some howard's feed and wax, just brush it on wipe it off and buff with a shoe brush ,and spray with deft and your done, takes all of 10-15 minutes

[wisardd1]

I agree, at most wipe in down with mineral spirits before finishing. Water and dead wood are not friends to my knowledge.

dale

[wildflower]

Well, I washed it yet, was careful not to immerse or soak the CW bark. As any wood will do when it gets damp, the surface fibres swelled and raised somewhat and what was really smooth to the touch was slightly rough however, it really brought out the beautiful grain of the bark...it actually looks silky. I let it dry for a full 48 hours just to be on the safe side. Today I applied the "feed-n-wax" which practically eliminated all surface roughness, yet the beauty of the grain still remains and there is no blotchiness, discolourations or black areas...just a dark, rich reddish colour. Next, I will apply the Deft. It's gettin' close!

And just for the record, the instructions on the "feed-n-wax" bottle says after applying, leave it on for 20 minutes before wiping off. So I'm thinking with careful brush application (wood spirit has to be done with a brush to get in all the cracks and creases), minimum 20 minute waiting time, then brushing off the excess (from all the cracks and crevices) and buffing with a soft brush...it's got to take at least an hour. Hey, I'm fussy and I think the extra time and effort is worth it.

Leslie

[fpace]

Leslie I think you will like the results.. good job!

[K Karver]

Thanks for the insights given here. I am going to have to try some of the techniques mentioned. Look forward to the pics Leslie. K Karver.