Constellations.

[Brianp]

Thanks to you guys for help in relation to staining of these pieces, I've just finished these...

The Plough


Cygnus


Orion


Cassiopeia


I could call these sky dishes...

Seriously though, I've learned a lot about staining with these. Spirit stain at least, really highlights your finishing - any defects, "slight" sanding marks that you might accept for a plain oiled/lacquered finish will stand out a mile once you start applying stain.

 

[KimG]

Interesting idea Brian, as an amateur astronomer myself (astro website here! I can appreciate both aspects of these pieces, nice stuff!

 

[tekno.mage]

Really nice idea - what have you used for the "stars"?

Spirit stain is totally unforgiving of blemishes - especially sanding scratches or areas of punkiness or tearout in the wood - all of which it tends to highlight like a big arrow pointing straight at the defect! I found this out the hard way too :-( I've also found that some woods take up the stain in a very patchy (and often unattractive) way - birch being an example of one of these. Ash and sycamore, however are nice woods to stain.

 

[Brianp]

Really nice idea - what have you used for the "stars"?

Aluminium (I think) wire. I say I think because I picked it up a while ago in a garden centre, and I've not been able to find the packaging. Silly tidying. Anyhoo, I've used it on one other project which hasn't showed any signs of rust so... it's a divvil to sand down to flush though, and nigh-on impossible on a layout like that to get access with a snips in to trim it!

Spirit stain is totally unforgiving of blemishes - especially sanding scratches or areas of punkiness or tearout in the wood - all of which it tends to highlight like a big arrow pointing straight at the defect! I found this out the hard way too :-( I've also found that some woods take up the stain in a very patchy (and often unattractive) way - birch being an example of one of these. Ash and sycamore, however are nice woods to stain.

Yeah, sycamore this was, took the stain nicely apart from it highlighting the sanding scratches! KimG very kindly assured me it would take stain again so I actually sanded it off, improved the finish, and stained again.

BTW, KimG, I was impressed with your astronomical sketches on the other website you linked us to.

 

[KimG]

Thanks Brian, when I can be bothered to set the scope up I must do some more, I keep telling the astro group to try it, and then I go home and think, nah, can't be bothered tonight! Idle wazak that I am.