I'd like some opinion on this

[fbWldcat]

Hey, fellas. A few weeks ago, my dad felled my favorite childhood tree. I went to the house and picked out four branches that could be used as walking sticks. I used a knife to shave all the bark off. The end product* is a nice, natural looking walking stick with sanded knobs and top, and nothing else.

Now the asterisk is there because I don't know if I want that to be the end product. This last one I'm building is for a friend of mine. She likes to go hiking and fishing a lot. I want to paint something onto it that will make it a little moreso or something along those lines. So!

1. Should I use a primer if I am going to paint it?
2. Should I put a clear coat over it? Nothing like a gloss, but a flat or maybe satin for a more natural look? I like the natural look, the real question was clear coat or not.
3. If I use clear coat, how many coats of it should I apply? I figure put down the first coat, then sand it, then reapply. Sand and reapply if needed. Does this sound like a good idea?


Your input is much appreciated, thanks in advance. <S>

[100Coogn]

  For putting your friend before yourself.
Damn classy.

Sounds like you are doing things right with the clear coat & sanding btw. 

<S> Coogan

[morfiend]

 If you dont seal the wood it will rot!

 What you use to seal it is pretty much up to you,there's so many products to do this with it's mind boggling.


  If it was me I'd use a good feldspar poly on it as it's marine rated,however old school shellac does have an appeal of it's own.

  As far as painting something,seal and sand the wood first,a primer may be required to get the proper color but you need to seal the wood first.Apply a coat of sanding sealer over the entire stick,coat the ends several times as they absorb the sealer the most.


 Another thing you can do to add to the walking stick is to add a handle,leather and cording,thin rope make excellent handles.If you choose cording,learn to do a whipfinish and bury the ends in the wraps. Have fun and you might want to google walking sticks for some other ideas.


    

[fbWldcat]

Btw, everything is done by hand, no power-tools used. So Coogn, thank you. <S>

Morph, I have a spray paint clear coat that is rated for indoor/outdoor use, that is water resistant and supposedly durable. Would this suffice?
And I did think about using small rope for a handle, whip finishing is no problem for me, I tie my own flies sometimes. <S>
If you don't think the spray will work, I'll definitely use some feldspar poly.

[Gaidin]

If its going to be anything but a display item, use the feldspar.  I have seen many different ways to do this, one of my favorites given to me by my wife has my name burned into the wood prior to the finishing.  I found out later that my step dad made it for her.  It also has a leather flat lace wrap for handle.

[Dragon]

The type of wood may make a difference too, is it a hard or soft wood?  You may want to let it dry a bit more before painting and sealing it to prevent mold issues or rotting from the inside.  

+1 on the kudos for making her a walking stick.  Nothing beats a home made gift.

If your not going to paint the whole thing, consider taking a torch to it lightly to darken it and really bring out the grain first.  It takes about five min but really makes it look nice.

[SPKmes]

Painting although good...would be a pain in the long run since from what I can gather it will be used on the trails. I would go for a wax/stain type of coating...there are gel types that you apply with a sponge or tac(lint free) rag. painting will require touch ups that will need sanding  where as the stain will just require a clean and coat if it gets knocked...also it will not take away from the work (handtooled) that you have looked for by making them in this way.

oh yes...you can...but for better results use a brush or sponge...spraying will mostly just coat the surface and not get worked into the wood as much.

[fbWldcat]

It is Bradford Pear, Hardwood.
I've let it dry in our garage for the past 3 weeks so it wouldn't crack (direct sun and 95 degree temps sound like a recipe for cracking).

[morfiend]

 FB,


  I'd use a real sealer,they are available at any good paintshop and/or most good hardware stores. It's made to be absorbed and stablize the wood,after a light sanding you wont even see it. Then do any decorating that you like,flaming,branding,carving,staining and or painting then coat it with a marine grade poly.

  If you know how to whipfinish then your miles ahead of most for doing handles,another trick is to use a wire loop to pull the ends under the wraps,thats done when putting the eyes on fishing rods.This works great with leather,as you can hide the ends of the wraps to make a nice looking handle.

  Oh and another good touch is a loop,matching the handle of course,great for not dropping the walking stick!


   

[Penguin]

Why did your father fell the tree?

/hijack

-Penguin

[MaSonZ]

if your going to psint it, use AT LEAST 1 coat of Zinsser BIN. it seals whats in in, and whats out keeps out. stuff is expensive, but a qaurt is more then enough.

[fbWldcat]

Why did your father fell the tree?

/hijack

-Penguin

Ice storms took their toll. Bradfords are notorious for having high yield strength, but low tensile strength. They are very easily destroyed by excess force such as large amounts of ice/snow.

Ironically, after the tree is felled and the wood loses some of its moisture, it becomes more elastic while yield strength is highly unaffected. The end product is a perfect wood for a walking stick.

[MaSonZ]

interesting wldcat.

[fbWldcat]

Morph, when you say a "real" sealer, what do you mean? I know what you mean, generally, but I don't know specifically.

[morfiend]

 It's usually sold as sanding sealer and is a lacquer based product.


  You could make do with some thinned out poly,1/3 thinner 2/3rds poly or even half and half depending on the wood.

 If it isnt real dry,less than 10% moisture then the thinned out poly will be just fine but old or dried out wood can benefit from a good sealer.It fills the pours and strengthens the fibers,this preps the wood for a nice finish. Since the wood was cut not long ago it will have a high moister content so I dont think you need to spend the extra to get sealer,just put a couple of coats of thinned out poly and it should be good for years.


  I made a nice walking stick for a friend,it was cedar and was full of worm holes and grooves,I stained it brite red then sanded all the stain off except what filled the worm holes.Made a red leather wrap handle and braided leather loop.

  He's never used it as he says it would me a shame to mark it up.....