[Woodcarver] re conservation need

[Doris Briggs]

Hello Hugh,

I have no experience with this, but did save some posts from 2005.   
Here they are:


Mahogany would be my first choice of wood for that sign. It carves  
nice and
holds up outdoors well. My second choice would be redwood and maybe  
third
would be white oak. In fourth place mignt be cedar because of the coarse
grain and not carving very well. Use exterior paints and varnishes for
finishing.

Joe Dillett




Yes Maura, mahogany is wonderful for holding up in wheather, even in the
wilds of Alaska. I just had our Library repainted as a Eagle Scout  
project
and the mahogany sign I made for it about 25 years ago was also in  
need of
refinishing but the wood was solid and in exceptional shape. 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 Dillett




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


On 29-Mar-07, at 6:10 AM, Thomsons44 at aol.com wrote:

>  heh out-there--- its Hugh the skincarp again looking for the  

> answer I asked on 26/3/07 regarding preferred wood for outdoor  

> conservation signs and the desired preservative covering to be used---


Hope these help and I haven't duplicated someone.

Doris