How do you finish a detailed wood carve?

I feel like this might be the start of a religious war but here goes.

I have some walnut/maple carves that are ready for finishing. Unlike other projects I have done there are no large flat surfaces which seem to be the target for “hard wax” finishes like Ruboi and Odie’s.

I have looked at scroll saw folks and they seem to do the dip in Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO) followed by a rattle can spray Poly.

What do you use to bring out the wood, provide some durability, and deal with fine detail and corners?

Yep, likely a religious war :wink:

I’ve used Odies, mineral oil, lacquer, and poly. I’ve not used Lin seed oil yet. I like Odies best, but as you note, getting it rubbed in is problematic. In that case, my recommendation would be lacquer. Curious what others are using.

-Tom

Wow, guess all those other projects are running around 'neakid … who knew?

When you use the Odies do you buff it in with a Dremel and buffing wheel?

Hi Carl - nah, that’s entirely too much work :laughing:.

I wipe/buff it on with a white scotch-brite pad, let it sit for a few hours, then buff it off with a terry towel. I let them dry for at least 24 hours before handling.

Depending on the detail of the part, there might be more wax in certain areas than desired, so when I wipe it down I try to get into all the tight spots. Eventually it all dries. As long as it is not goopy or gloppy (:arrow_left: both highly technical terms :sweat_smile:) it’s all good.

Hope this helps.

-Tom

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