"Nick" wrote in message
...
A very good friend of mine has a small 60yo sailing boat that she and her
brother have spent the last 4 years restoring. Pretty much completed now
except the frilly curtains. 26ft, I think. That's the length of the boat,
not the curtains.
She (Clare) wants to make a nameboard that will be fixed to the stern.
Lettering will be incised by hand.
Clare is a carver but has no experience of incised lettering.
I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak, ash,
beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber is hard
and the process very contrary to her usual discipline.
This is going to live in a seawater environment 24/7. 6 months in/out.

Gave Clare a few bits of softwood to try and she is finding this easier to
work. I think the practice may be improving her technique. I still think
that if the finished article is to have any durability, it should be of
hardwood.

Any suggestions for timber and durable finish please.

Wood...
#1. teak
#2. mahogany

Finish (in order of lasting power)...
#1. paint
#2. oil
#3 poly

dadiOH

A very good friend of mine has a small 60yo sailing boat that she and her
brother have spent the last 4 years restoring. Pretty much completed now
except the frilly curtains. 26ft, I think. That's the length of the boat,
not the curtains.
She (Clare) wants to make a nameboard that will be fixed to the stern.
Lettering will be incised by hand.
Clare is a carver but has no experience of incised lettering.
I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak, ash,
beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber is hard and
the process very contrary to her usual discipline.
This is going to live in a seawater environment 24/7. 6 months in/out.

Gave Clare a few bits of softwood to try and she is finding this easier to
work. I think the practice may be improving her technique. I still think
that if the finished article is to have any durability, it should be of
hardwood.

Any suggestions for timber and durable finish please.

Good luck,
Nick

On 6/10/2013 7:19 PM, Nick wrote:
A very good friend of mine has a small 60yo sailing boat that she and her
brother have spent the last 4 years restoring. Pretty much completed now
except the frilly curtains. 26ft, I think. That's the length of the boat,
not the curtains.
She (Clare) wants to make a nameboard that will be fixed to the stern.
Lettering will be incised by hand.
Clare is a carver but has no experience of incised lettering.
I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak, ash,
beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber is hard and
the process very contrary to her usual discipline.
This is going to live in a seawater environment 24/7. 6 months in/out.

Gave Clare a few bits of softwood to try and she is finding this easier to
work. I think the practice may be improving her technique. I still think
that if the finished article is to have any durability, it should be of
hardwood.

Any suggestions for timber and durable finish please.

Good luck,
Nick



Teak and or Ipe with a spar varnish. nothing is going to be permanent,
expect to refinish every year or two. Use a router to carve with.

On Monday, June 10, 2013 7:19:53 PM UTC-5, Nick wrote:
A very good friend of mine has a small 60yo sailing boat that she and her

brother have spent the last 4 years restoring. Pretty much completed now

except the frilly curtains. 26ft, I think. That's the length of the boat,

not the curtains.

She (Clare) wants to make a nameboard that will be fixed to the stern.

Lettering will be incised by hand.

Clare is a carver but has no experience of incised lettering.

I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak, ash,

beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber is hard and

the process very contrary to her usual discipline.

This is going to live in a seawater environment 24/7. 6 months in/out.



Gave Clare a few bits of softwood to try and she is finding this easier to

work. I think the practice may be improving her technique. I still think

that if the finished article is to have any durability, it should be of

hardwood.



Any suggestions for timber and durable finish please.



Good luck,

Nick

You can't go wrong with teak. I used to finish all my brightwork with Armada. Of course, anything that sits in the sun for six months will require sanding and refinishing.

"Nick" wrote:
snip
She (Clare) wants to make a nameboard that will be fixed to the
stern. Lettering will be incised by hand.
Clare is a carver but has no experience of incised lettering.
I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak,
ash, beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber
is hard and the process very contrary to her usual discipline.
This is going to live in a seawater environment 24/7. 6 months
in/out.
snip
Any suggestions for timber and durable finish please.
-------------------------------------------------
Teak left natural.

If you must finish bright and you are in the UK, check out Epifanes at
a local chandlery.

Lew

On 6/10/2013 5:19 PM, Nick wrote:
A very good friend of mine has a small 60yo sailing boat that she and her
brother have spent the last 4 years restoring. Pretty much completed now
except the frilly curtains. 26ft, I think. That's the length of the boat,
not the curtains.
She (Clare) wants to make a nameboard that will be fixed to the stern.
Lettering will be incised by hand.
Clare is a carver but has no experience of incised lettering.
I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak, ash,
beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber is hard and
the process very contrary to her usual discipline.
This is going to live in a seawater environment 24/7. 6 months in/out.

Gave Clare a few bits of softwood to try and she is finding this easier to
work. I think the practice may be improving her technique. I still think
that if the finished article is to have any durability, it should be of
hardwood.

Any suggestions for timber and durable finish please.

Episode 307 of "Rough Cut - Woodworking with Tommy Mac" had a picture frame
with hand carved letters. It had tips on how to do the lettering. You might be
able to find it on you local PBS or Create TV station.

The wood that they used was mahogany.


Dan

I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak, ash,

beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber is hard and

the process very contrary to her usual discipline.

Use Mahogany. It is not so hard that you can't carve it and is great for water resistance. She is never going to carve Ipe (nick named iron wood for good reason). Teak I am not so familiar with but seems like even stringie-er grain than mohag and probably tought to carve well.

On 6/11/2013 11:35 AM, SonomaProducts.com wrote:


I suggested a hardwood for durability and gave her some bits of oak, ash,

beech and elm to practice with. She is struggling as the timber is hard and

the process very contrary to her usual discipline.

Use Mahogany. It is not so hard that you can't carve it and is great for water resistance. She is never going to carve Ipe (nick named iron wood for good reason).

And the reason I suggested using a router. ;~) If she is struggling
with carving with a hard wood and she ends up using a router, Ipe would
not be out of the question and would probably outlast the boat.


Teak I am not so familiar with but seems like even stringie-er grain
than mohag and probably tought to carve well.


Teak is a pretty common marine wood.