Post #557104 by amate on Thu, Sep 30, 2010 2:26 PM

I hope someone can give me some advice. I have a pine log that is full of what appears to be insect tunnels only they are filled with saw dust( first photo). While doing my final shaping, half of his eye fell off. I treated the area with Elmer's wood stableizer but am not happy with the result. It has the same consistancy as wood glue and does not penetrate real well. The more I get into this carve the more unstable the wood seams to get. I'm afraid half of this guy's face is going to fall off. at this point, I just want to get him stuck together and I'll paint the details on later. I've never used the spar varnish but it seams like it might give a good hard coat. I need something that is liquid enough to soak into the saw dust and then harden. This carving is 6 ft. tall and I've got a lot of hours invested in it. I would like to save it. Any suggestion are welcome.