How do you keep this large piece of wood from checking before you sculpt it? I put this in the turners forum because I thought you guys might have more info on preventing checks in large pieces of wood.
thanks,
rick
How do you keep this large piece of wood from checking before you sculpt it? I put this in the turners forum because I thought you guys might have more info on preventing checks in large pieces of wood.
thanks,
rick
Normally turners will harvest a log, seal the cut ends with Anchor Seal and store it for a year for each inch in diameter. This ensures that it dries slowly and helps prevent checking.
Another option is to cut the log into blanks and split them to take the pith of the log out of the equation, and then seal the ends.
Yet another option is to take the above blanks, rough them out to roughly 3/4 - 1 inch thick (depends on size of the blank), cover them in Anchor Seal or newspaper and store them in a cool dry place for six months to a year, until dry, then finish them.
For a sculpture like this, you might get away with roughing it out, then sealing it, and storing it for a year or so, then finishing it.
The whole idea is to cure the wood slowly and evenly.
I have to assume your work shown has a significant value and is worth some extra effort. From experience I can say that most peices of large wood if put in a steam chamber will loose the tension that makes them crack. I would build a small chamber and steam the peice until the core temp is as hot as the air for several hours and you should have an extremly stable peice of wood plus it will dry quite fast.
I guess this also assumes it was not kiln dried.
"The element of competition has never worried me, because from the start, I suppose I realized wood contains so much inspiration and beauty and rhythm that if used properly it would result in an individual and unique object." - James Krenov
What you do speaks so loud, I cannot hear what you say. -R. W. Emerson
Picking the right type of wood has a lot to do with it.
Softwoods like cypress shrink less as they dry, so are less prone to cracking. A lot of pieces like that are also done from old salvaged wood thats been down for years, sometimes recovered from a stream or swamp, so it's had plenty of time to stabilise.
You may also find that the form the sculpter 'found' in the wood took the cracks into account, they were removed as the shape was formed.
That form seems to be fairly thin and delicate - hard to tell from one photo, but if the cross sections have been carved down to 1-2" thick then it's less likely to check as well.
Cheers
Ian
Originally Posted by Rick de Roque
It's quite simple really: just take away it's check book.
Mark Rios
Anything worth taking seriously is worth making fun of.
"All roads lead to a terrestrial planet finder telescope"
We arrive at this moment...by the unswerving punctuality...of chance.
The work shown is NOT my work. It was at a gallery I saw in Maui this summer and couldn't figure out how they did it without any checking. Sorry if I gave the impression it was my work. I only wish it was.Originally Posted by Jim King
Mark: Check book.... good one. My kids call that a Dad joke.
Rick
If you rough it out first would you seal it Anchor Seal or is there something else?Originally Posted by Jim Underwood
Thanks,
Rick
For a sculpture like that I would consider PEG ... it has to soak for several weeks but basically PolyethelyeneGlycol (PEG) replaces all the water in the wood. It's used for preservation of museum wood artifacts all the time. That is how I would approach it. A piece like that has to much work into it to trust other methods.
Mike-in-Michigan (Richland that is) <br> "We never lack opportunity, the trouble is many don't recognize an opportunity when they see it, mostly because it usually comes dressed in work clothes...."