Finishing a carving

A carving is finished twice: once with the knife, and once with whatever goes on the surface. The second stage decides whether the carved detail stays crisp and readable or disappears under a thick coat, whether the wood shows its colour, and how the piece feels in the hand. There are four main options: leave it bare, oil it, wax it, or paint it.

Bare wood

Many carvers leave a piece with no finish, especially whittled figures and small pieces. The wood stays pale, and the knife facets catch the light. Basswood, butternut and pine all look good bare. The surface will darken a little with handling and with age. A bare surface picks up dirt and oil from hands, so it suits pieces that will sit on a shelf.

Tool marks or sanded

The choice of surface is made before any finish. A finishing cut is a thin slicing cut that leaves a clean facet with no tearing, and the cuts database lists it. A piece finished with facets has a hand-carved look and needs no sanding. Sanding gives a smooth, rounded surface which suits pieces such as spoons and bowls, where the surface is handled.

If you sand, go through the grits in order: 120, 180, then 220 or 320. Do not skip. Sand with the grain. On carvings with fine detail, use folded paper or a stick with paper wrapped round it to reach in without rounding the edges. Wipe away the dust with a cloth or a brush.

Sanding softens the crisp edges of chip carving and relief, so use it lightly, or not at all, on those. For figures, a light sanding of large surfaces and none on the detail is a common compromise.

Oil

Oil soaks into the wood, brings out the colour and gives a slight sheen, with no film on the surface. It works well on carved detail because it leaves no build-up in corners.

• Boiled linseed oil gives a warm amber tone and darkens the wood. It cures slowly, over several days.
• Mineral oil stays liquid and does not cure. It gives a soft, natural look, and is used for spoons and bowls, reapplied whenever the wood looks dry.
• Tung oil and Danish oil cure harder and give a slightly more durable surface.

Apply by wiping on with a cloth or brushing, leave for ten to fifteen minutes, and wipe off the excess. Stop with a cloth, or the surface will be tacky. Two or three coats over a few days is typical. The finishes database lists each oil with its look, dry time and durability.

Wax

Paste wax gives a soft, low sheen and a silky feel. It can be applied over bare wood or over a cured oil. Apply a thin coat with a cloth, allow it to haze, and buff with a clean cloth or a soft brush. The brush gets into carved detail. Beeswax mixed with oil makes a simple finish for spoons. Wax gives little resistance to water, but it is easy to renew.

Shellac

Shellac dries in minutes and forms a thin film with a warm tone. It seals the wood, which evens out the colour of woods that blotch, and leaves a smooth base for wax or paint. Brush on a thin coat, let it dry, and rub lightly with fine abrasive pad. Two thin coats give a clear result. It can build up in deep detail if applied thickly, so keep it thin.

Antiquing and stain

A dark wax or a thin stain is wiped over the carving and then wiped off the raised areas, leaving it in the recesses. It adds depth and contrast to relief carving and aged pieces. Seal the wood with a coat of shellac first, so that the stain does not soak in and blotch, then wipe the stain on and remove the excess from the high areas with a cloth. Finish with clear wax.

Paint

Carved figures are often painted, for bright animal and character pieces. Acrylic paint is the usual choice: it dries quickly, cleans up with water and covers well. Thin it with water into a wash so that the grain shows through and the detail is not filled, or use it opaque for solid colour. Seal bare wood with a coat of thinned shellac or sanding sealer first, since end grain drinks paint and leaves dull patches. Paint in layers from light to dark, and finish with a matte varnish or wax.

Woods and finishes

Basswood takes paint and stain well but can look blotchy under stain unless sealed. Butternut has a figure that oil brings out. Walnut needs only oil and wax. Pine yellows with age, and looks good in antique wax. The carving woods database records each species' grain and colour, and the woodworking finishes database gives more options for wood of any kind.

Order of work

1. Clean up all cuts and fuzz with a keen knife.
2. Sand, or leave tool marks.
3. Dust off, with a brush or a cloth.
4. Seal if needed: shellac for blotchy woods and before paint.
5. Apply the finish in thin coats.
6. Buff and leave to cure.

Common problems