3D Carving in MDF with Glazing Finish

[rcnewcomb]

Work in progress. I used a variation on the finishing technique that Robert Ball had talked about. Special thanks to Danny Ray for encouraging us to look into MDF.

24"x24"x1" MDF
Letters were V-carved with a 60 degree bit
3D design is machined with a finish pass only using a 1/8" Beckwith ballnose and 8% stepover at 6ips XYZ
Light sanding
1 coat lacquer
Applied cherry glaze using a paper towel
Textured using lightly rolled aluminum foil
dry overnight
Even close up it looks like solid cherry (unless you look at the sides or the back).

2145

[joe]

Good Going Randall,

Your detail is exceptional for MDF. I like the color also.

[sailfl]

Randall,

The people getting your work will enjoy the fine job you did.

[gerard]

beautiful piece,
how long did the machine take to carve this piece out?

[rcnewcomb]

The piece took about 60 minutes to carve and is about 0.85" deep

[jseiler]

What brand/type was the cherry glaze. Excellent.

[rcnewcomb]

This is Varathane Traditional Cherry Gel Stain #445. ->Link (http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=58)

[myxpykalix]

Randall,
your finish looks more even coated than my first experience with gel stains. I may be mistaken with mine but never having used it i thought it came this way...mine was the consistency of a thick "mudpie" (think back to your childhood) and i would dip my brush in and apply. Then wipe off but some little chunks would stay in the cracks. Is this right or should it be a more watery consistency?

[rcnewcomb]

The Varathane gel stain is more the consistency of a hand cream - no chunks or solids. I learned early on that I don't want to glop it on too heavy. The darker stains (cabernet, walnut, dark walnut) are pretty agressive so you really want to go light with those. The lighter colored the stain, the more forgiving it is.

I noticed that the lacquer and the gel stains tend to interact moreso than tung oil. I haven't decided if I like that or not. I may try some poly to see how it works.

I'd also like to experiment with some water based stains if I can find some in gel form.

[tmerrill]

Randall,

You might try the water based glazes by General Finishes. The only advertised difference between a glaze and a gel stain is a glaze gives you more open time to work with it. Personally, I seem to get better results with a glaze, but sometimes use a gel stain because more colors/shades are available.

Tim

[rcnewcomb]

I used a stain pen on the lettering to improve contrast. I also applied a few more coats of lacquer. Another advantage of the glazing technique was that I was able to sand through the stain to lighten certain areas such as the eagle head and the tail feathers.

2146
->Larger Image (http://www.222artisans.com/images/EagleFreedomLiberty.JPG)

[myxpykalix]

Randall...please explain a "stain pen"? i've never heard of it or seen one. Do you have a picture?

[rcnewcomb]

I guess the official term is "Stain Marker". They are made by Minwax for touchup, but work very well for accents. We learned about them from a cabinet shop about an hour from us. They have a woman who does amazing detailing with one of these.

I used the dark walnut for the lettering.
->Stain Marker (http://minwax.com/products/wood_maintenance_and_repair/wood_finish_stain_marker.html)

[Brady Watson]

Randall,
That looks awesome! At 1st glance one wouldn't know it was MDF. Thanks for sharing your recipe.

-B

[myxpykalix]

looks like a magic marker, cool. Thanks for posting that.

[dray]

Thats a beauty!

[wberminio]

Nice!

[phil_o]

Very nice Randall. Can you explain in a little more detail the aluminum foil texture part? Thanks in advance.

[rcnewcomb]

quote:Can you explain in a little more detail the aluminum foil texture part?
Basically you need to drag something irregular across the surface to make more of an organic grain pattern in the gel stain. I may try a really worn wire brush next time.

Since there is a layer of finish underneath, the stain does not penetrate like it normally would. It can be "shaped" slightly. It is then left to dry overnight. The next day you can apply another coat of finish.