Finishing Your Own Baby Cradle

[Iron Mountain Wood]

Filling Holes: Nail holes and indentions are filled before painting, pickling, polyshades, and frosts. Holes are be filled after stains and primers. Different systems have different ways of dealing with nail holes. Stain sticks, wood filler, color putty in cups, and vinyl paste are among many ways of getting over those nail holes. There again the right application used with the right knowledge makes the finishing simple and rewarding.

Testing Finishes: An Unfinished board will accompany all Unfinished cradles. This board is to be used as a testing board for finishing, stains and color tints.

Color Stains: Use about a 2 inch sponge pad or a 2 inch brush designed for that task. Time comes into play when applying any color process. Timing the setting of the stain, 2, 3, to 5 minutes means the perfect pleasing effect you`re looking to achieve. Once you decide how dark, how much wood grain to show, and how deep the hue. Decide this on the testing board. Put the stain or color on applying it to the test board with the 2 inch pad or brush, dip theapplicator down into the can, wetting about half the distance of the pad or brush.You should try to work as fast and smooth as you can. Apply the fresh stain or color to the board, time and wipe the excess off softly, using a good clean rag. Be sure to wipe with the grain, or in the direction of the lines. The applying stain or color can be put on with the grain as well. Wiping with the grain allows the liquid to blend. If an area is left to set lets say 5 minutes, there may not be very much to wipe. This area would be darker, less grain show, and have more hue than an area left to set 3 minutes. When you start the cradle, work sections; the underside, the inside, the sides, putting the color on and timing then wiping. Keep a wet line, staining from the wet always toward the unwet area. Work coating until just a section is completed, then wipe that section. When all is covered allow to dry 7 to 10 hours.

Acrylics: Waterbased finishes are called Acrylic Polyurethane. These Acrylics can be applied over most pickling, polyshades, frosts, tints, stains, and natural woods. The "clearcoat" or Acrylic process is applied with a clean brush. Lay it on with the grain of wood, keeping a wet line. Always working from the coated to the uncoated. Sand when the cradle is dry, lightly between coats with a fine or extra fine sandpaper. This takes out the bubbles or air pockets, and smoothes the finish, ready for the next coat to be applied. Don`t be afraid to ask the dealer questions, any question, no matter how many, or complicated.

Two Coat Rule: Two coats is the rule of thumb, Two coats of Acrylic Polyurethane over pickling, polyshades, frosts, tints, stains, and natural wood. Two coats of paint over a primer-sealer undercoater. Two coats rule of thumb and you`ll be thumbs up.

Paint: In order to paint, a primer-sealer undercoater must be used before.

Find out what you like, learn it, do it, enjoy, and your tradition has started.

Benjamin Francis

[Jennifer Myrr]

Wow what a great tips, it is very useful post, I will share this tips to my friend who is making her own baby furniture. Thanks for this post. It will really help my friend to finish his baby cradle smooth and cool. God Bless..