Surface Finishing archive

his creates an almost hammer-like finish which is very effective on certain pieces. I used a 13mm No.7 sweep in a fishtail, although it does not have to be a fishtail. This heavy-tooled finish can be used on rhino skin (see main picture, left) as it adds strength

For creating a finish which has less surface texture, use a tool with a lesser radius, such as a No.2 sweep

Again, for the cleanest of cuts, the tool has to be razor-sharp, going with or across the grain

This piece has been finished using mainly a 16mm No.4 gouge

Using a coarse sanding disc in an angle grinder is the fastest form of sanding. It is also an effective tool for shaping. The sanding discs start off at 40grit. If you do not have a variable-speed angle grinder the disc will burn the wood as you reach below 120grit

The power file is a great tool for sanding and shaping. It is very versatile because the end can be used for creating concave shapes and the flat for convex

Cutting ScotchBrite pads into 2.5in squares and placing into a mandrill is a great sanding device when using a flexi-drive. They take the shape of what you are sanding rather than flattening everything off

A stone in the flexi-drive is ideal for reaching those awkward areas. The stones come in all different shapes and sizes, with a variety of coarseness

A small rubber disc in the mandrill can be used to work a very tight corner. They are available in various grades of coarsenes

The bullet-shaped rubber works in the same way as the stone. However it is much finer and can be easily shaped to fit the job

The ball-shaped cotton bud sands very finely. I find the shape becomes more useful as they start to wear down

Sooner or later you will have to sand by hand. For best results start with a coarse grade. Go down through the grades, working over the whole piece. You can fold the paper into different shapes to get into those hard to reach areas. I prefer to use paper-backed carbon paper

Stamping the background. This is performed to help lift the foreground and create contrast. When stamping, the ideal is to reach a consistent depth and grouping. As you can see, nearer to the stamp where there is more consistency, it is more pleasing to the eye

The stamp in photo 13 is home-made from a 6in nail. However this stamp is commercially bought. You can purchase them in many different shapes and patterns; some have acorns, crosses and moon

This example of a Victorian leaf panel shows how the foreground is lifted by stamping the background

To add texture by creating raised pips, punch the surface with a dome-headed punch. Sand the surface back level within the punched area. When sanding back, be careful not to go past the punched leve

Wet the punched area. This will raise the grain of the punched area to create a pip. This technique looks particularly good on the surface of fruit or something like a toad

Traditional cabinet scrapers can be used on large carvings. For smaller carvings or in tighter areas I have made small scrapers from old screwdrivers. When scraping with the grain they make easy work of deep scratche

A heavily tooled finish can add strength to certain carvings, such as this rhino skin