[Woodcarver] Re: Help carving outdoor sign

[Victor Hamburger]

> "Joe Dillett" <jdillett at thecarvingshop.com>
> 
> Yes Maura, mahogany is wonderful for holding up in wheather,<snip> Just a little
> sanding, paint and exterior grade polyurethane varnish took a few hours and
> should be good for another 25 years.
> 
> The spar varnish should work out well for your outdoor sign. I don't know if
> you need 5 or 6 coats. I'm thinking 3 should be perfect.

Joe and Maura,

I carved a pineapple sign for the front of our house nearly 30 years ago.  I 
used Patterm-makers grade mahogany, which is a very dense, tight grained reddish 
wood that carves beautifully.  Acrylic paint on the pineapple, and 3 coats of 
spar varnish on the entire piece, including the bare wood background, and it 
lasted for nearly 20 years before I had to sand and re-varnish it.  It sits 
outside most winters with a northwest exposure, so it gets plenty of New England 
weather.  I agree with Joe, 3 coats is enough for the sign, and make sure you 
use a tight grained mahogany, there are several hundred specie of wood from 
around the world that can be called mahogany, including stuff I wouldn't burn in 
my woodstove.

	Vic H