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Gryphon...

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Gorgeous!

Final update on this guy. Finally got around to attempting a finish on him. Was going for an aged, stone/marble statue look. Almost got it right!

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Wow! That turned out amazing! And the finish really makes it look like aged marble. Congratulations!

Thank you so much Mary! I was really discouraged as I was furiously working on the finish while it was quickly drying. I'll keep this method for further uses then!

Mary is right - that is great looking.  You really outdid yourself.  Anyone would be proud to have him hold their books up.

Can you please explain what finishing process you used? Thanks!

Thank you for the kind words Rick, and sure thing Mary!

First I painted the carving in white chalk paint. I used Waverly brand that I believe I got from Amazon. I applied it as thin but evenly as I could, making sure every nook and cranny was painted, but not filled with leftover paint globs. I let that dry overnight, then lightly sanded with 220 grit to get rid of any brush marks. No worries if a little wood shows through after sanding. It will look shockingly white, but don't worry like I did...it will darken up after the lacquer in the next step.

Next I evenly sprayed on 2 coats of semi-gloss lacquer, trying hard not to have drips, and let that dry overnight also. This step is key. If you don't seal the paint, the stain in the next step will make a huge mess.

The last step is to apply gel stain. I used General Finishes brand in "Colonial Maple", which I bought off Amazon. Woodcraft carries it here, but Amazon=tax free. 😉 Working really fast, I thickly brushed on the gel stain everywhere. The second I had everything covered, I grabbed some blue shop towels and wiped the whole thing down. This part is all up to your taste in how you want it to look. I made sure the smooth carving areas were as cleaned off as I could get, and I didn't worry about the gel that was deep in the recesses.

Last step after the stain dries for a few days is to lightly spray on a last coat of lacquer.

Hope that made sense! Let me know if you have any questions.

Awesome!

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