How can I treat this carving so the wood doesn’t deteriorate and can be cleaned but the tiny shapes stay visible?
Been working on a lid for a sealed terrarium. I’ve made fairly detailed cuts on a CNC. The picture doesn’t do it justice. I intend to seal the bottom with paraffin to get a good seal with the glass. That will also protect the wood from moisture but I’m not sure how to treat the top. Every piece has an error in it, here I forgot to calibrate the bit height which made a bad cut in the bottom in the last step which I intend to fill with paraffin too.
The top is cut in 4mm, 0.8mm and vcarve bits (0.3mm and 0.1mm tip) and I wonder what I could use whilst still having the shapes pop nicely. Light and shadows play nicely in the grooved cuts.
Try going with a darker colour. It will bring out the pattern in the cuts
Good idea! Also like the_v said, it could help to contrast the shapes in the cut.
I thought of using a limited tint so it would blend with the other untreated wood nearby, but a darker color could make the shapes stronger. It also tends to make the wood’s internal structure stand out more.