Post #492305 by Benzart on Fri, Nov 6, 2009 2:47 AM

Hey Kino, I LOVE your questions:

"
Can any of you more experienced guys answer these questions for me ?

1- if I'm not sanding my piece will the above technique still have a nice look ?

2- how many coats of each product should I use ?

3- I carve palms, do I need to let them dry completely before the shellac/varnish ?

3a- if I seal them when they are still wet, will the moisture eventually dry out ?(slower maybe)

4 - what should I use to seal the top and bottom ?"
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1, If you don't sand the carving it jst won't look too refined,,of course it depends on how well it was finished to begin with. If it is mostly chisled then not a lot of sanding is needed, if it is Chainsaw and grinder then more sanding is needed. With palm you don't want to rub against it and feel sharp thingies.

2,, I don't quite understand this ? so will just go over a quick finishing. first it depends on the wood, for palm you may need a few coats of stain depending on the look you want so stain is a "Just what looks good" kind of deal. for the clear, I like to give 2 or 3 coats of shellac as a sealer after the stain because it dries fast and can be SANDED between coats quickly. After the shellac, you already have a nice look and now you need the protection and the poly's or varnishes are next. LOOK at the directions before buying as many of the drying times are different and you want the fastes drying time because you should put on at least 3 coats to get the protection you want,, th More the merrier. You just don't wnt to be re coating it 6 months down the road. REMEMBER the poly's and varnishes are mostly for Protection. You Need to sand between coats to get proper adhering of the next coat.

3, should you let the palm dry before the poly coats? well it will take forever to dry a palm log so no is the correct answer but you need to let the Surface be dry which could take a few days.
3a. If you don't let the surface dry the palm will continue to dry BUT not n all areas. The nasty MOLD comes around and really not look good then the finish will start to flake off so See # 3 and let the surface dry well.

4. What to use to seal the top and bottom? The same stuff you use on the sides, just remember #'s 1, 2, 3 and 3a. Sometimes it is a good idea to attach a bottom "Base" board to the carving for stability since by now you found that you forgot to level the base before you started to carve(Always the first step!). Just finish the bottom before you attach the base.

EASY, 4 steps to finishing your tiki. Remember every piece is different, every log is different and all the finishes are different, the ONLY thing that is Not different is the Sanding part which ALWAYS Needs to be done.
You had mentioned the burning thing. For palm burning is a great way to rid the piece of the sharp splinters always sticking up but that is another whole chapter!

Hope this helps and also remember these are only My recommendations, everyone else will have their own. This works for me and I've been doing this for 25 years and have Always looked for the Easiest lazy mans way to finish a tiki!