Buddha Figure

[rcastrap]

My wife is Buddhist from Thailand. I made this for her. Maple with padauk frame. Buddha figure is finished with Sculpt Nouveau Bronze B with patina. 22”x14”

[Rcnewcomb]

That is a nice use of Sculpt Nouveau!

[scovell]

Beautiful project. How did you do the lettering?

[rcastrap]

Scoville,

Thank you!

Here are the steps I take for small lettering:

1) Sand the surface smooth and seal with shellac (helps prevent tear out)
2) Take shallow cuts with very sharp 45 deg V-bit run slowly at high revs
3) Seal newly exposed end grain with shellac (prevents capillary action)
4) Apply acrylic paint liberally. Let dry completely.
5) Sand off excess paint.
6) Fill any unpainted V-grooves with extra-fine paint pen
7) Finish

[scovell]

Scoville,

Thank you!

Here are the steps I take for small lettering:

1) Sand the surface smooth and seal with shellac (helps prevent tear out)
2) Take shallow cuts with very sharp 45 deg V-bit run slowly at high revs
3) Seal newly exposed end grain with shellac (prevents capillary action)
4) Apply acrylic paint liberally. Let dry completely.
5) Sand off excess paint.
6) Fill any unpainted V-grooves with extra-fine paint pen
7) Finish

Nice tips, I especially liked the tip on sealing it with shellac to help prevent tear out.

[rcastrap]

Wife didn’t like the patina. She said it’s fine for a museum, but in a home it just looks like neglect and disrespect. Four new coats of bronze and it is back to its former luster.

[Rcnewcomb]

Either way it is still a great use of finishing techniques. Well done, and I'm glad she is happier now too.