[Woodcarver] Need advice carving repair (Joe D. and Ivan W. pleaserespond if possible)

[Ivan Whillock]

Cracking on the statue was probably  inevitable considering the change in climates, and the likelihood that the wood has a heartwood core which expands and contracts less than the exterior.  Only if it had been displayed in a humidity controlled environment would it possibly have remained unchecked.

Because of what seems to be the nature of the statue by the pictures, it may continue to expand and contract with seasonal changes in humidity, and so any repairs will  be temporary, too.

 I've found that the laminated statues have a better chance of holding the repairs than those made out of a solid log.  A laminated statue I repaired 30 years ago using the wooden wedge system is in a local church where I still see it now and again. The repairs have held, and there are no signs of additional cracks.  Whole log statues are trickier, and sometimes call for some heartwood removal to keep them from continuing to split.  That depends on the type of wood and the design of the statue itself.   Before doing anything that radical, however, I would hesitate, especially on a collectable work of art, to make irreversible changes that could actually diminish the value of the work.  Some collectors, in fact,  prefer cracks to a second artist's alterations.

Repair the statue only after it has been in your shop for some time to acclimate it to the surrounding humidity, etc.  Make sure that the pieces of wood you use to patch the cracks are acclimated as well, as dry or dryer than the statue.  Carefully cut the wedges so that they fit snug without forcing the crack open even more. Study the grain so that you can cut  the wedges to  follow that pattern.  Use a  glue with a proven track record.

As I said, most restorers hesitate to use a process that cannot be undone, thus will use a hide glue, etc. something that can be removed at a future date if necessary.  Epoxies and some fillers can be difficult to reverse in a future repair.  Wax is a safe filler because it can be removed at a later time.  Wooden wedges carefully cut to fit the cracks will not significantly alter what is already there, and so they are preferable to something that may change the composition of the wood around the repair. 

There seems to be a painted decoration on the surface.  A judgement you may decide to make is-- unless the painting is expertly reproduced, would  the patches be as much a  distraction as the cracks themselves?

The point of restoration is not to make the stature "look like new" but to stem further deterioration and to minimize the distraction caused by the deterioration that has already taken place.  

Ivan Whillock Studio
122 NE 1st Avenue
Faribault, MN  55021
Visit my website at
http://www.whillock.com
Visit my Picture Trail album at
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=ivancarve
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Alex Bisso 
  To: [Woodcarver] 
  Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2006 5:55 PM
  Subject: [Woodcarver] Need advice carving repair (Joe D. and Ivan W. pleaserespond if possible)


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  I have been asked to repair a very nice carved wooden Quan Yin statue and would like to get some advice from someone who has made similar repairs.  The statue has developed some very serious cracks with the starting at the base and opened up around ¾".   I am confident that I can fill the cracks and reshape and refinish the carving to look good but I would like to do it in a manner that will prevent future cracking and I am not sure the best way to do this.

  Some thoughts I have are:

    1.. Put some pentacryl (? - the stuff that prevents green wood from checking as it dries) in the cracks before filling them.  My concern here is that the pentacryl? might prevent the fill material from bonding to the wood.  Is this a bad idea? 
    2.. Put some of the thin surper glue in the cracks before filling them.  Would this work. 
    3.. Use a filler that is a strong bonding agent as well.  I am not sure just what might be good for this, especially for the wider cracks.  I am considering autobody bondo, possibly mixed with a little bit of fiberglass resin.  What other options are recommended? 
    4.. Insert some wooden wedges in the cracks and secure them with carpenters glue.  However, I am concerned that I could crack the statue right in half trying to insert the wedges.  The main crack probably goes at least on halfway thru the wood and there are other cracks on the back side.  Any thoughts about this? 
    5.. It would be nice if there was a way to get the cracks to close up some before doing the filling.  I think the cracks are due from the piece being made in a  humid, tropical climate while here in MT it is very dry.  It does seem like the dryer it is, the worse the cracks are - and it has been very dry here.  I am also concerned that if I got them to close up some and then did the repair, they might open up again later. 
    6.. Drill some holes right through the statue and glue in dowel pieces through the cracks.  My concern here is that while this might stabilize the cracks, there are enough cracks that this might require a lot of holes and surface damage.  While I am sure I could reshape the surfaces where the holes are, there is an intricate patterns in the robe/gown and it might be impossible to match that.  Any thoughts about this ?
   

  I put a few photos of the cracked statue in an album at my picturetrail site.  The link to get the them is:

  http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=abisso&x=19&y=15

   

  The statue is about 3' tall.  I am not sure what kind of wood was used in it - I think maybe some kind of tropical mahogany.  It is not a dense, heavy wood.

   

  Any guidance that you can give me on this that is based on your first hand experience with similar repairs would be appreciated.  Please feel free to respond off-list to albisso at bresnan.net if desired.

   

  Thanks.

  ALEX

   

   

   



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