Finishing Carved Wood, How to Finish Wood Carving

¶ Finishing Carved Decorations.

¶ One of the first things that a skilled finisher learns is that one should never use several coats of gloss varnish or filler on carved surfaces, and don't rub such surfaces in the usual way. Filler and thick varnish coats fill up the depressions and round off the sharp edges of carved decorations. Rubbing also cuts off the sharp projections. Clean cutting and sharp projections are marks of great skill possessed by the carvers, and so good carving should not be ruined by the finisher, rather enhanced and preserved. It is well to finish carvings by this schedule: Operation 1: Clean up with duster and soft sharp wood sticks.

¶ Operation 2: Stain to match other wood trim about it. There is some likelihood that the edge grain of the carvings may take the stain darker than the other surface, so be very careful until you find out. It may be necessary to thin the stain considerably. It may be necessary to give the carvings a very thin coat of shellac first to seal up the porous edge grain and prevent it from absorbing too much stain.

¶ Operation 3: Shellac. After staining apply two thin coats of shellac, white or orange, as needed to match the stain.

¶ Operation 4: Wax. Two thin coats. Apply and rub to a hard finish with a stiff bristle brush, a sash tool is good.

¶ Operation 5: Flat Varnish. In place of wax one fairly thin coat of fiat varnish may be used.

Next Page: A Tropical Style Finish.