Post #23187 by PolynesianPop on Sat, Feb 15, 2003 9:04 PM

Ok, I was going to keep this secret but I need some help. I just finished carving a 2 foot palm log (courtesy of Chiki). Prior to staining it, I gave it a moderate sanding with my power sander to smooth it out as much as possible.

Here's my problem: Some areas of the log have patches of hairlike fibers (similar to a brillo pad) that sanding doesn't seem to eliminate or smooth out. I (wrongly) assumed that once I began to stain it, the stain would hold the fibers together onto the log. However, that was not the case. The stain is about halfway dry and some areas are glossy while other areas are flat (I used a satin-finish polyurethane stain).

Here's where I need help: What do I need to do to smooth out these fibers? How can I get the stain to coat evenly?

I used 150 grit to sand it prior to staining. The next coarsest sandpaper I have is 80 grit. I didn't use that one because I was afraid of tearing up the tiki with it. The next smoothest sandpaper I have is 220 grit. This sandpaper was way too smooth to make any difference.

I've sanded and re-stained other tikis in my collection (using 40 grit to remove the old stain) in the past with fabulous results. However, this is the first one I've stained from absolute scratch and I'm having trouble getting the stain to look even.

I noticed that Leroy at Oceanic Arts normally paints his tikis as opposed to staining them. Other than the indoor masks and table top tikis, I noticed everything else in OA (including their rental tikis) seems to be painted rather than stained. Does anyone know if he does this to keep the finish even?

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

*** * * The Polynesian Popster * * ***

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2003-02-15 21:12 ]