Hi,
I've been doing carvings of photos but I'm not that happy with the contrast of the finished product after staining and sanding.
I've seen a number of photo carvings here and was wondering what stains you guys were using or is there a better way to do the finishing?

Thanks
Bert

I use red oak stain on lighter woods such as pine and maple

I have bought several wood carvings in Mexico and they use Kiwi shoe polish!

Shoe polish!!....... sounds interesting. I guess it's worth a try.
I've got a number of honey colored stains which I've been using. I'll try getting the red oak.
I went to the store a little while ago and got some minwax wood conditioner and english chestnut stain.
The conditioner seems to be letting the stain go on much more evenly on the pine I'm using. This stain is darker too so maybe that will help.
Thanks
Bert

I like a danish oil (Watco brand is good) for staining.

Then finish with a clear varnish if you want.
Bill

You may have much better results if you look into using a dye rather than a stain. There is a huge difference in the result especially on woods like maple and birch. Stain is a lot like a paint in that it contains very large particle size that tend to sit on the wood surface. Dye particles are many times smaller in size and penetrate into the wood cells rather than just sit on the surface. In simple terms think of a wood cell as a soda straw. Big particles can flow into the end of the straw but not the side. Woods like maple have large variation in the structure of cells (Think of it as areas with both open and closed cells, ie the end or side of the straw). This creates the blotchy effect that you can visually see. It takes a little practice to get the hang of dye application but well worth it in my view.

Dye sounds good if you are doing a solid piece but in photocarvings I dont think it would work if it penetrates the wood like you say. After you stain a photocarving you sand off the top layer revealing the white. Seems to me if Dye penetrates deeper it wouldnt let you acheive the affects you are looking for. Most photocarving are between .020-.040

I have bought several wood carvings in Mexico and they use Kiwi shoe polish!

This is truely an International Forum - here we have a guy from the USA, buying a Carving done in MEXICO, stained with a shoe polish from NEW ZEALAND.

Does this mean that we've finally 'made it' in the world??

Shoe polish is a very poor choice to say the least as it contains a lot a wax which will prevent any finish coats from bonding. I would try analine dyes, they come in a powdered form and you mix them with alcohol. They will penetrate very deep into the wood so if you need to sand anything alot you will still have color. Stay away from the garbage water borne laquer stains as they are a product of the EPA telling us whats good for us. (they have no clue) As any new homeowner can tell you,why do my cabinets scratch so easy? Because wood work used to be finished as such: Oil stain applied depending on wood type. Softer woods need stain controller added, and maybe several coats for very hard woods. Then 3 to 5 coats of laquer sanding sealer,sanded and dusted between coats,then 1or 2 coats of laquer finish sanded first coat only with 2000 steel wool. Stay away from home grade finishes as most are EPA controlled. Your best bet is to just go to Grizzly and check out the finishes the have for musical instruments. They have a great selection of good finishes.New woodwork is finished in 1 coat with the stain being added to the finish(water borne laquers =JUNK) this is why modern cabinets scratch so easy.I have seen dark cherry stain/finish put on oak and if you scratch the surface you are faced with a very light colored wood showing through that is very hard to touch up.

bbergami, sorry i forgot to say if your product is going to be exposed to humidity stay away from laquer altogether as they will blush (turn white) And spar varnish,although very tough will amber in sunlight and check or crack. I would go with any commercial bar top finish.

Shoe polish is a very poor choice to say the least as it contains a lot a wax which will prevent any finish coats from bonding. I would try analine dyes, they come in a powdered form and you mix them with alcohol. They will penetrate very deep into the wood so if you need to sand anything alot you will still have color. Stay away from the garbage water borne laquer stains as they are a product of the EPA telling us whats good for us. (they have no clue) As any new homeowner can tell you,why do my cabinets scratch so easy? Because wood work used to be finished as such: Oil stain applied depending on wood type. Softer woods need stain controller added, and maybe several coats for very hard woods. Then 3 to 5 coats of laquer sanding sealer,sanded and dusted between coats,then 1or 2 coats of laquer finish sanded first coat only with 2000 steel wool. Stay away from home grade finishes as most are EPA controlled. Your best bet is to just go to Grizzly and check out the finishes the have for musical instruments. They have a great selection of good finishes.New woodwork is finished in 1 coat with the stain being added to the finish(water borne laquers =JUNK) this is why modern cabinets scratch so easy.I have seen dark cherry stain/finish put on oak and if you scratch the surface you are faced with a very light colored wood showing through that is very hard to touch up.

My favorite finish right now is MinWax Polycrylic Water based polyurethane over aniline dyes.
http://www.minwax.com/products/protective/polycrylic.cfm
You can get it at Home Depot. It does take a long time to fully cure (30+ days), but once cured, it's a far more durable finish than laquer, and we use laquer every day where I work.

Hey guy, Aniline dyes work well, also you could try waterbase screen printing inks as they also come in various colours and can also be distressed later to give a aged look. Acrylic artist paints also work well and can be thinned in water to make it more penetrable. This paint has plasticizers and work well with polyurethane and minwax products. Try Craft Supplies USA at www.woodturnerscatalog.com. Hope this helps.
Mortimer

water based products are going to raise the grain, if you insist on using these products then raise the grain several time and after each wetting has dried resand untill smooth again.

After staining I usually shoot the carving with laquer sand and sealer, this traps the stain in and is easily sandable,after a couple of coats I then restain with a dark stain such as aspaltum mixed with mineral spirits and immediately wipe it off with a rag leaving the dark stain in the carving crevaces. Let it dry ,then copcoats it with a couple of coats of laquer rubbed out with steel wood [0000]

did anyone mention to make sure to treat the wood before you do your cutting? that way the satin will not adhear to the stock surface.

Dye sounds good if you are doing a solid piece but in photocarvings I dont think it would work if it penetrates the wood like you say. After you stain a photocarving you sand off the top layer revealing the white. Seems to me if Dye penetrates deeper it wouldnt let you acheive the affects you are looking for. Most photocarving are between .020-.040

I have the same question, wouldn't a dye penetrate to deeply to sand out the details?

I use dyes all the time, and it's not that hard to sand through them. It depends on how heavy you put it on and how long you let it soak in. I work with veneer a lot and even though it's less than 1/32" thick, the dye doesn't penetrate even half way through. It does depend on the wood species too, though.

There are a few carved pieces shown on my awful web page all done as I suggested . why not give it a try it does work...mjh http://members.tripod.com/mikehide2

I use Minwax pre stain conditioner, then Red Oak after about 2 hours I sand down the high points so that you can start to see the white of the wood. Then I restain using Golden Oak. This combination really brings out the detail of the carving.