Post #395165 by TikiTres on Sat, Jul 19, 2008 3:57 PM

Benz, thanks for your kind comments! I hope this sconce ends up being worthy of all the praise it's currently getting, LOL!

BigT, it's my pleasure! I've tried digging up as much Witco finish info as I could, but it apparently was a pretty closely guarded secret as no one seems to know exactly how it was done. They probably did burn the wood, but beyond that I suspect they either power-washed or sandblasted. I'm sure they didn't brush it like I'm doing because it would have been far too time-consuming for the scale of their projects and it's difficult to get consistent results. Ken Pleasant probably knows more than anyone about how it was done. I have one of his pieces and it is truly beautiful, it's nicer than the Witco I've seen so he may even have figured out how to improve upon their process!

Surfin, thank you! Since you guys are so encouraging I'll make sure to take pics of the rest of the process as well.

Speaking of which, I got to spend a little time on it today burning and brushing, here's a progress pic:

The nose and brow pieces are cross-grain to the face, I thought it might add some interesting texture variation. I left some of the burn in place around the edges, in the eye sockets and on the bridge of the nose to (hopefully) give it some character. I've got to run and buy some construction adhesive and the electrical components after while. I'll glue it up, then put the poly on it, then wire it up and it'll be done!

If anyone's curious, below is a pic of the tools I'm using, all simple stuff. An inexpensive portable torch that I've had for years for solder work, a 3" wire brush in a cordless drill and of course a dustpan for all the sawdust, LOL!