Replies

1. 
   Steven_P._Thomas | May 18, 2000 02:56pm | #1

   *
   I've read of people sandblasting wood to give it the weathered look, but know of nothing that turns the wood gray.

1. 
   Gretchen_ | Jun 10, 2000 01:15pm | #2

   *I think (emphasis on "think") lye will do this. Also, a blow torch will age wood. Be careful not to burn it up, of course.

1. 
   Joel_Watson | Jun 10, 2000 04:40pm | #3

   *There was an article a few years ago, I think in FWW, about a fellow who used a number of techniques to "age" wood. One of his methods involved chaining the wood to his pickup, piling weights on the wood, and dragging it up and down his gravel driveway. That might be extreme for the look you want. Some other craftsmen suggest using lye, bleach, or both (not mixed!) to get the dry, grey look. You might search the FWW indexes for "distress", "weather", and "aged".Of course, you could just build a barn out of the pine, and wait a few years .

1. 
   Gretchen_ | Jun 11, 2000 12:24pm | #4

   *Was just looking through FW's book of finishing and one chapter is on making frames of "driftwood". He brushed the wood with a steel brush (as in paint brush cleaning tool) to distress it.

1. 
   Dale_Page | Apr 19, 2001 08:51pm | #5

   *KC, I have tried the burning technique. I don't like it. I was taught by an artist who makes his own frames to do the following:1. Use soft pine, as you mentioned. Cheap is good, because you're going to really abuse it. But you need it to be straight so you can mitre the corners without undue gaps.2. Glue up your moldings before cutting.3. Cut the pieces and glue up. I use biscuits in the mitres to reinforce it. You're going to be putting some strain on it.4. Fill the mitres if there's any gap. Don't worry about the color difference since it will be painted.5. With a chisel or gouge, start working over the frame. Make soft scallops on the outter edges. Really dig into the flat portion of the frame and gouge out pieces until you have no more planed surfaces. 6. Now take a stiff wire brush and really go after the piece. This takes away the sharp edges from the chisel and gives it an aged look.7. Use your drill with a bit about the size of a nail. Make random holes in the frame. Watch out for being symmetric. It will look contrived.8. Mix up some gray paint. I like latext. Paint the entire frame and leave no raw wood exposed. 9. With a DRY brush, gently swipe the frame with black paint. Experiment on a scrap which went all through the process. It may take some time to get the hang of it. In fact, don't do this on a frame til you've practiced the whole process on a scrap.10. Now take fine sandpaper and sand the entire frame. This will knock the paint off the high spots, as though the board has been rubbed. You'll have raw wood peeking through the gray paint.11. I don't varnish the finished frame. My wife thinks I should, just to make dusting easier. Otherwise, it's ready to hang.12. You can put an inner frame of linen or other coordinating material to really finish off the frame and make it look professional.13. Practice, practice, practice. Subtle colors will coordinate the painting to the frame. The more you do, the better you'll get. If you make a loser, burn it. You win all around.14. Develop your own techniques. It's rewarding to your ego and your pocketbook. You'll pay a hundred dollars for a frame like this.