Post #512965 by TikiMango on Tue, Feb 23, 2010 7:34 PM

BIG tiki scott, thanks. I'm not sure of a master piece, but it is a piece... :D

Laojia, thanks for the advice on wood. I think after this I will be ready to return to the safety zone of bone. I'll try to get pics of my tools next time. It is just a basic 6 piece Flexcut palm chisel set.

Benzart and Benella, thank you. Yes, I went ahead with the inlay. I was worried about how even I could get the inlay in the wood. In bone it is fairly easy, but the wood has a different "sanding rate" and hardness.

Coconuttzo, thanks for taking a break from your bone work to check out my pics. Mother of pearl would have been nice, but I don't have any handy. Maybe next time 'round.

My latest project has been nothing but a time sink and money pit, but I'm getting a great abject lesson in... in something I'm hope! :D Well, on to the update, though not much for 2 weeks of effort.

Here's the piece last week, got that inlay in there and a coat or two of clear over a stain of red mahogany.

Getting a closer view.

It's hard to capture the true color of this, as with flash it looks much more red.

This weekends progress, a "few" more coats of clear.

Some detail shots of other areas. I'm amazed at how lighting can affect the overall color.

...and another

...and another. This is the body of a reclining manaia figure, head to the right.

And a final parting shot of the last clear coat.

Sorry for all the funny detail shots, I'm just not ready to reveal the whole thing until the thing is whole. :lol: As for being an abject lesson, I have a new appreciation for people that work with wood on a regular basis and take the time to really sand and finish a piece. This will be an indoor piece so I am using a spray-on polyurethane for the clear coats. I was waffling between varnish, but I've heard that the FL humidity can pose a problem and cause hazing. I hope I wasn't told wrong.

As for the time sink, I'd tack cloth the piece, make sure there wasn't any dust and spray. Wait a few hours, see dust, wet-sand (2000 grit) it smooth and repeat the next day or so. And I mean "repeat"... tack cloth, spray, see dust, sand and re-coat. Very frustrating! I think I have at least 5-6 coats of clear, I lost count. :(

I hope I can get everything finished this coming weekend, I'm ready to finish so I can get on to other things, as keeping the area dust free has put a hamper on me doing anything other work. As always, thanks for the interest!
:drink: