i would appreciate your suggestions for finishing the following bowl.
it is beech , it has been carved througout the surface which is going
to be filled with oil paint. the surface is then going to be scorched
with a blow torch. i have experimented on a practice piece and had a
few problems :
1. when oiling with danish or teak the oil will run out of the carvings
and eventually harden with run marks. the carvings are small like
piercings and the oil sits in them unable to be wiped. i feel spraying
will cause the same effect. more care ? maybe but i think eventually i
will get a run and i cant sand it out without destroying the scorched
finish.
2. the residue from the scorching is being picked up by the oil and
depostied into the carved sections - i had buiffed it off lightly but
dont want to spoil the scorched effect.
3. i could use parafin oil as it wont dry hard and wont cause runs as
much but as i am diluting the oil paint in the finishing oil i am wary
that the paint may not dry aswell.

any suggestions ?

Hi Geoff

Are you still able to hold it in the lathe, if yes then a thinned tung
oil could be put on, wait 10 min or so, then turn on the lathe and spin
off al the excess, and wipe the outside while spinning to get any
that's flung to the outside, before it's able to harden up.

Just a thought, before I nod off ad go to sleep.

Have fun and take care
leo Van Der Loo

wrote:
i would appreciate your suggestions for finishing the following bowl.
it is beech , it has been carved througout the surface which is going
to be filled with oil paint. the surface is then going to be scorched
with a blow torch.

You are going to scorch the wood after applying oil paint to some or all
of the surface? Is the paint going to be burnt too?


i have experimented on a practice piece and had a
few problems :
1. when oiling with danish or teak the oil will run out of the carvings
and eventually harden with run marks. the carvings are small like
piercings and the oil sits in them unable to be wiped. i feel spraying
will cause the same effect. more care ? maybe but i think eventually i
will get a run and i cant sand it out without destroying the scorched
finish.

More care. Maybe applying very thin coats of warm oil to make them more
fluid while they soak in. Wipe off excess with something absorbent like
paper towel. Check for runs every ten (?) minutes until the oil is cured.

2. the residue from the scorching is being picked up by the oil and
depostied into the carved sections - i had buiffed it off lightly but
dont want to spoil the scorched effect.

Scorched wood is perhaps not the most durable material or coloring.
Whatever you do, you need something that will build a protective layer
over the fragile scorched areas.

Maybe a black stain would be more appropriate?


3. i could use parafin oil as it wont dry hard and wont cause runs as
much but as i am diluting the oil paint in the finishing oil i am wary
that the paint may not dry aswell.

Walnut oil maybe? It doesn't go tacky like danish oil, but does take a
long time to fully cure.




--
Derek Andrews, woodturner

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com
http://chipshop.blogspot.com - a blog for my customers
http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com/TheToolrest/ - a blog for woodturners

sorry leo cant hold it in the lathe i have turned off the recess and
carved the base

hopfully the paint wont be burnt - at least not a lot - i have had
succes with trial - the surface of the bowl is scorches and the paint
in the carving or piercing remians intact.

a black stain ? i thought of this originally but dismissed it as it
would run into the carving which is already painted - and i cannot
paint the carving after the surface has been stained - it is bound to
get on the surface..

walnut oil - yes this may give me a good shine - and if i can get rid
of the soot problem would possiubly be the answer - the fact that it
dries slowly may mean that it has longer to run and may mean constant
wiping for a long period.

w'ere getting there but not quite !!

On 8 Mar 2006 01:38:22 -0800, wrote:

i would appreciate your suggestions for finishing the following bowl.
it is beech , it has been carved througout the surface which is going
to be filled with oil paint. the surface is then going to be scorched
with a blow torch. i have experimented on a practice piece and had a
few problems :

You're filling the carvings with paint, and then scorching the
exterior, right? Where does the oil come into play here? There's
nothing magickal about the use of oil beyond the nice way it makes the
grain pop- something that isn't all that important if it's painted and
scorched. Why not paint the recessed areas, allow to dry, sand off
the excess, scorch the wood, and then spray the whole thing with a can
of spar polyurethane? I can't see how it would hurt anything, and for
me it's a lot easier. If the inside of the bowl is smooth and you
want to oil it to make the grain pop, just finish that seperately.

1. when oiling with danish or teak the oil will run out of the carvings
and eventually harden with run marks. the carvings are small like
piercings and the oil sits in them unable to be wiped. i feel spraying
will cause the same effect. more care ? maybe but i think eventually i
will get a run and i cant sand it out without destroying the scorched
finish.

Light coats with the spray can or hvlp sprayer, using a different
finish. Poly, Laquer, or Shellac are all going to be easier to use,
and look about the same over painted and charred wood. If you use
shellac, don't expect to ever wash it in water.

2. the residue from the scorching is being picked up by the oil and
depostied into the carved sections - i had buiffed it off lightly but
dont want to spoil the scorched effect.

No way around that with oil, at least not that I've been able to find.
I've done some scorched stuff for my dad, as he's really into "rustic"
cowboy stuff, and you just can't touch it until it's got a protective
coat over it- and that includes wiping it with oil. You might be able
to spray the oil, but it takes a little while to soak in, and has a
long open time, so it's still possible it's going to lift up little
bits of ash and float them over the piece.

3. i could use parafin oil as it wont dry hard and wont cause runs as
much but as i am diluting the oil paint in the finishing oil i am wary
that the paint may not dry aswell.

Why are you diluting paint with finishing oil? They've got "paint
thinner" for just that purpose, and you don't risk destroying the
curing properites of the paint.

any suggestions ?

When I am putting an oil finish on a piece of maple burl which usually
has a lot of voids, I will blow it off with the air hose. I think that
I saw this trick in an old Fine Woodworking where the guy was blowing
out the joint between the frame and the panel. It does work on voids
and bark inclusions. Get a rag and the air hose. It won't get all of
the oil (like if there are some spongy parts that will leak oil for a
while), but gets most of it. Wipe the runs up as the air blows it out.
I will usually hit it a couple of times.
robo hippy

I do a similar thing with compressed air, on both varnish and
polyurethane. I have used polyurethane on scorched wood in a thin
layer, blow off with air to remove excess. After first coat I do fine
sanding and re-apply thinned urethane for ultra thin topcoat, leaves a
nice finish. Haven't used oil in a long time, as it leaves a bit of a
'tooth' on the surface that is hard to dust, and it also makes wood,
especially walnut and curly grain, too dark for my taste, hides the
grain, color and variety...

robo hippy wrote:

When I am putting an oil finish on a piece of maple burl which
usually
has a lot of voids, I will blow it off with the air hose.

snip

Wipe the runs up as the air blows it out. I will usually hit it a
couple of times.

Damn. Talk about a head slapper. I do that without thinking cabinets
and pieces that I stain or rough textured work (rustic finishes are
increasing popular in S. Texas) that
requires clear finish.

I just never thought of doing that on the lathe. Talk about not being
able to connect the dots! Sometimes I think I have been doing this
stuff too long, and I just go on auto pilot and don't think about the
better ways to do things.

Thanks robo.

Robert

You can probably seal the black area with a coat of shellac. It is
fast drying so hopefully you can be with it and not have any nasty
surprises like runs that appeared after you walked away. You can
apply most coatings over shellac, though the wood won't be able to
take up any oil.
Good luck,
Alan


On 8 Mar 2006 01:38:22 -0800, wrote:

i would appreciate your suggestions for finishing the following bowl.
it is beech , it has been carved througout the surface which is going
to be filled with oil paint. the surface is then going to be scorched
with a blow torch. i have experimented on a practice piece and had a
few problems :
1. when oiling with danish or teak the oil will run out of the carvings
and eventually harden with run marks. the carvings are small like
piercings and the oil sits in them unable to be wiped. i feel spraying
will cause the same effect. more care ? maybe but i think eventually i
will get a run and i cant sand it out without destroying the scorched
finish.
2. the residue from the scorching is being picked up by the oil and
depostied into the carved sections - i had buiffed it off lightly but
dont want to spoil the scorched effect.
3. i could use parafin oil as it wont dry hard and wont cause runs as
much but as i am diluting the oil paint in the finishing oil i am wary
that the paint may not dry aswell.

any suggestions ?

thanks for the info - i agree the spray would be the ticket. since i
havnt used it before and not readily available i decide to buff the
charred surface well to remove the excess soot - then oil the charred
surface - the light coat of oil has not gone into the recesses but this
infact helps the piece - the matt paint on the inside of the shiny
black scorched exterior works well - a couple more coats and that
should do -
i must have a go at spraying in the future - what types do you suggest
that could be picked up locally (uk)- does it prove expensive for large
pieces.

How about posting a picture for us to see in
alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking....it sounds interesting.
Safe Turning,
Alan

On 10 Mar 2006 01:28:55 -0800, wrote:

thanks for the info - i agree the spray would be the ticket. since i
havnt used it before and not readily available i decide to buff the
charred surface well to remove the excess soot - then oil the charred
surface - the light coat of oil has not gone into the recesses but this
infact helps the piece - the matt paint on the inside of the shiny
black scorched exterior works well - a couple more coats and that
should do -
i must have a go at spraying in the future - what types do you suggest
that could be picked up locally (uk)- does it prove expensive for large
pieces.

On 10 Mar 2006 01:28:55 -0800, wrote:

thanks for the info - i agree the spray would be the ticket. since i
havnt used it before and not readily available i decide to buff the
charred surface well to remove the excess soot - then oil the charred
surface - the light coat of oil has not gone into the recesses but this
infact helps the piece - the matt paint on the inside of the shiny
black scorched exterior works well - a couple more coats and that
should do -
i must have a go at spraying in the future - what types do you suggest
that could be picked up locally (uk)- does it prove expensive for large
pieces.

You can spray just about anything- do you have an air compressor? If
so, it's only about $80 (us) to get started with a gallon of laquer,
thinner and a medium-grade spray gun. The gun runs about $40, and
looks like a small silver pistol with a quart can screwed to the
bottom. You dillute the finish a bit with it's proper solvent, fill
the cup, and hook it to your compressor. It's actually a very cheap
way to go, and the savings is greater on larger peices. One gun can
be used for mulitple finishes, including paint.

If you're looking for aerosol spray cans, I've had very nice results
with Helmsman Spar Polyurethane and various spray laquers- though I've
never seen shellac in a can where I'm at. Spray cans can get
expensive if you're finishing a lot of things, but they're nice for
the odd smaller project.

Make sure you have proper ventilation with either method, of course.
A good chemical mask is worth investing in as well, if you don't
already have one.