Raised carving/stock finish

[David Sbur]

I have a problem with stock finish around the fine edges of my raised carving. Seems that when I 0000steel wool the finish to smooth and knock the glare off the bulk of the stock it is rather difficult to get in close to where the carving is and I'm left with a shiny area in close. I can only get so close with steel wool and then I run the risk of taking off the stain!

Is there a superfine metal brush or some such technique I'm not aware of to get this small area? On close inspection it is rather glaring. I prefer the more 'matte' finish to my stock. Am using tung oil cut with turpentine, am getting good buildup with fairly fast drying time.

 

[Vaino]

Use pumice or rottenstone in mineral oil and work the edges w/ a toothbrush. In fact, this stuff could be used to dull the entire stock using a cloth.....Fred

 

[rich pierce]

Fred has it right. Here's another trick. Take a popsicle stick, shape one end to look like a steak knife in profile. Leave the other end round. Get another stick and split it in half to make it narrower to fit in smaller places in the carving. You can shape the ends of the sticks to fit different curves and edges in your carving. Wrap a stick in very fine cotton fabric, like a worn out T shirt piece, just a single thickness, and use this to rub in the rottenstone with mineral oil. Dribble oil onto the carving, sprinkle in some rottenstone with a salt shaker, and do some rubbing. Wipe it all off, use more oil to clean it, dry it completely, and see if you've knocked off the shine. Pretty soon you'll have a sense of how much work is needed to make the finish very even in sheen.

 

[wulf]

Your good