Hairy Wood Problem

[porkmeatballs]

Hey guys! Does anyone know how to smooth the wood on my master carve without it getting that "hairy" look to it? I use 320 grit sand paper, but it doesn't seem to remove those tiny pieces of wood hanging off of my carving. Please help!

[gliders]

Either seal and sand ,or use steel wool ,this cuts the fibres rather than abrading thèm off, you could singe them also, wire wool should do trick though. Hope helps.

Edited November 28, 2016 by gliders

[Vodkaman]

A coating of thin CA glue (superglue) really does the job well. If you have some acetone for clean-up handy, you can apply with your finger for convenience.

 

Dave

[SW Lures]

Before what Glider and Dave recommended. Take some wood dust and act like you are sanding the wood with it. This is called "burnishing the wood". It will make the wood have a polish look, rather then the fibers being broke down and hanging away from the baits body. Then you can do the other techniques. You won't have a problem then.

Dale

Edited November 28, 2016 by DaleSW

[Musky Glenn]

When something wet hits wood it raises the grain. Sanding Sealer will allow you to sand it lightly with 320 wet or dry and have a super slick lure. Lacquer will dry fast enough that it hardly raises the grain, allowing you to sand very lightly. Usually it doesn't require a second coat of the sealer unless you get to eager with the sanding which should be very light.

[porkmeatballs]

Thanks for the info guys! Would something like Minwax spray urethane work too?

[JRammit]

Epoxy works best imo... Seals the wood without raising the grain, makes a super smooth surface.... And hides any imperfections you made while carving

[Travis]

Sanding sealer hands down (2 lb cut shellac).  Dries very quickly and good adhesion of paint and sanding is a breeze.  Bullseye Seal Coat would be a good example.  

Edited November 29, 2016 by Travis

[barrybait]

Rifle stock makers use water to raise the grain.  That makes all the little hair fibers stand up.  Wet the wood blank and let it dry or heat it with your heat gun.  The hairy wood fibers curl up.  Use steel wool to smooth again.  It cuts the fibers off.  Repeat if necessary.  I don't think this would work out so well if you have scales carved into the wood but for smooth sided wood blanks it should work great. Makes the wood feel super smooth.

[porkmeatballs]

Sounds like a good idea barrybait! Will the steel wool gouge the wood though? I'm mainly looking to smooth out the wood around the detailing (on the head). It sounds like it would be kind of hard to reach in there with steel wool.

[Travis]

Steel wool comes in different grades.  Very common in most woodworkers shops.  Liberon being about the best and it goes down to #0000 and frequently used to rub out a shellac finish for example.  It gives a very  uniform scratch pattern to give a very pleasing sheen.  I personally don't like using it for lures and typically will use some IPA or acetone as it flashes off quickly and will raise the grain also.  A lot of bird carvers (if using basswood as about the worst fuzzy factor) will just quickly hit it with a torch to burn the fuzzies off.

The only time I like to use water is when intentionally raising detail, if you compress wood fibers and then sand then wet the areas you compressed will swell and raise.  You can add interesting detail that way that would be much more difficult if you tried carving.  For example say you wanted to mimic the tubercules observed on some fish species along the head. 

Cut shellac will still raise grain and lock stuff in place and flashes off in seconds ready to be sanded and painted in very short order.  Also paints much easier as the wood is sealed at that point.

[porkmeatballs]

Wow thanks for the write-up! So should I still try the water technique even though I already carved the detailing on the head?

[Travis]

Try the water out very common method for raising grain,   It isn't going to hurt anything at all.   I just prefer to use shellac right off as it kills two birds with one stone.  As you will raise grain and have a "sealed" bait ready for paint.   Either are fine try them both  and others to see what you like.  

[porkmeatballs]

Alright sounds good! So I wet the area with water, let it dry, and then sand?

[Travis]

Yep all there is to it.  

[porkmeatballs]

Awesome! Should I use a hairdryer or just let it air dry? Thanks so much for the quick responses! I'm actually working on the bait right now!