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How to Finish a Carved Surface

April 2, 2013 / Mary May / Wood Carving Tips

I recently received a question from a SAPFM (Society of American Period Furniture Makers) member, Frank Duff:

“Hi Mary, I’ve been carving legs for a Phila High Chest for over a year now and
I’m now in the final smoothing stage prior to starting to glue things together.
I have not used sandpaper yet! I’ve been able to get the surfaces of the ball
and claw feet and the ancanthus leaves in a finished state with a variety of
small scrapers and several fine tooth files. I’ve done the same with the
background surfaces as well. However, on the larger surfaces both the scrapers
and the files leave some tiny tracks. How much of this is acceptable when one is
attempting to replicate an 18th century surface?”

Well, my short answer was simply “I will check with the experts”, as my area of knowledge is carving with gouges, but the preparation for finishing is often done by the furniture-makers and restorers that I work with. I am usually reluctant to sand my work much, as it can dull the details – but there are times when it is definitely necessary. I would probably lightly sand the surface mentioned with around 400 grit sandpaper.

I asked several friends who are in the furniture making and furniture re-finishing business that I have worked with. Here are their answers:

DL Hamilton, Furniture Maker, Beaufort, SC
“In larger cities like Phladelphia, the 18th century cabinet makers would have used shark skins, glass paper or reeds, pumice or other abrasives that were available in that time frame. Tool marks should be faint on face surfaces and more pronounced on back surfaces, in my humble opinion. In my work I would lightly hand sand with 320 or 400 grit sandpaper at the point where you are and then apply the finish of the period.”

David Beckford, Charleston, SC
“There always is evidence of hand work on period things – one should be able to feel them. Also, what looks like a canyon to you probably wouldn’t show to most.”

So, the conclusion that I got from the replies was that we need to relax a little. The 18th century cabinetmakers did not make the surface “perfect”, these pieces were hand-made and had a hand-made touch. So relax…

Any other comments or suggestions are welcome! I know there are a lot of people out there who know much more about this subject that I do. Please share!

 

2 comments on “How to Finish a Carved Surface”

  1. Bob Easton says:
    April 3, 2013 at 7:50 am

    Grow some Dutch Rush! (marshy sandy soil required)

    First, I am not an expert, nor a Period Furniture Maker. My limited “expertise” comes from reading and dreaming.

    A recently published book, “The Lost Carving: A Journey to the Heart of Making,” explores the work of Grinling Gibbons a full century earlier than the 18th Century furniture Mr. Duff inquired about. In “The Lost Carving,” David Esterly tells of restoring Gibbons carvings that were damaged in a fire. As one of the world’s foremost experts on Gibbons, Esterly offers an enchanting story of the restoration project. Along the way, he discovers unexpected very fine striations on the surfaces of some of the original carvings (under 300 years of dust, un-original stains and washes, and other grime). Esterly knew that mass produced glass paper didn’t appear until 70-80 years after Gibbons, so he thought Gibbon’s work would have been “fresh off the gouges.” Finding the striations was a puzzle that could not be left unsolved. A great deal of research and many trials of various methods followed. Long story short, the material that most closely produced the same gentle results was Dutch Rush.

    Dutch Rush is a reedy plant in the Horsetails family. It grows in such a way as to absorb and take up silica from the soil. After shoots are harvested and dried, they can be used as a very fine abrasive.

    While maybe not what 18th century furniture makers used, it sounds like a gentler alternative to coarser glass and sand papers. Esterly mentions that since his experience restoring the Gibbons carvings in the UK, he now grows Dutch Rush on his property here in the U.S. and uses it often in his work.

    • MaryMay says:
      April 3, 2013 at 11:26 am

      Bob,
      Thanks for the info. Grinling Gibbons was an amazing carver! He carved delicate lacework in wood that is hard to believe it isn’t going to flow in the wind.

      I guess they just had to use what was available. I have seen some of his work, and his carvings were so precise with the gouges that not much finish work was needed – or so it seemed without a magnifier. If you ever have a chance to see his work in England, it is a real treasure.

      I’m going to have to get that book.

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