Post #112317 by Polynesiac on Fri, Sep 3, 2004 7:48 PM

Hey aaron How's everything?
Octane - thanks for sharing your techniques. It's interesting to see how everyone does it. For what it's worth, aaron, this is what I do:
I put on at least 2 coats of stain with a foam brush. I've found that applying stain with a regular brush misses many of the spots between the palm fibers and applying stain with a rag raises more fibers. which is annoying. I apply a "liberal" amount (enough to cover and seep - but not enough to drip) then immediately wip off what I just applied with a clean white rag (I use old t-shirts). Check out wood working websites for other techniques.
For my palm tikis, I've found that applying polyurethane or varnish with brushes takes FOREVER. especially when you have to apply several coats. I started using the spray version of these sealers. you have to put a ton of coats (I put anywhere between 5-10 coats depending on where the tiki is going to live) on for the same effect, but it does save time applying the coats. It also seeps into the crevices that are hard to get to with a brush. for all other wood, I still apply with a brush, because the end result on redwood (for example) looks better when applied by brush, but I don't see any difference with palm.

I love that design of the Moai-Kuish one. Can't wait to see it in full 3d aac form.