[Liaptoono]

Hey, I'm making myself a bigger sword rack then the one I have out of some bolsa wood and whatnot and after I'm done with the construction I want to stain the wood. I have no idea how to go about this or were I would get any. Would I go to place like home depot?? nor do I know what to get. Help please??

[steevytraunse]

yeah, i think home depot would be the best. i bet they'll even make it for you if you pay them.

[Fekliopas]

I wouldn't use balsa wood, not if you want it to last. Try finding something a little heavier that is still easy to work with like Pine or something. I do recommend talking to your local hardware/paint shop about which stainer to use.

You might want to put a few coats of clear poly-urethane over it at the final stages to give it a really nice lacquered look, or better still, try finding a product that is a tinted varnish like Intergrain's DWD. It is for outdoorsy stuff but I think it would work nicely with a sword rack.

To cut a long story short....talk to you Hardware Rep. first, I just like to explain things the hard way.

Good luck and maybe post a pic when it is finished so we can steal your ideas.

[rolex-buy]

Hey, I'm making myself a bigger sword rack then the one I have out of some bolsa wood and whatnot and after I'm done with the construction I want to stain the wood. I have no idea how to go about this or were I would get any. Would I go to place like home depot?? nor do I know what to get. Help please??

Balsa wood is too soft and will break easily. I would suggest pine (cheap) or maple (hard). Wood is in the lumber section of Home Depot.

Stain is available in the paint section of Home Depot. Shake the can of stain, open it, dip a paint brush in the can of stain, apply the brush to the wood. Stain has toxic odors so do this outdoors. Notes: Before applying stain, wipe all areas of the stand with mineral spirits (go outside, wear rubber gloves, get a piece of cloth, put mineral spirits on the cloth, wipe the wood with the cloth). This will remove unwanted oils from the surface of the wood. Wear rubber gloves when applying stain.

Considering you don't have any experience, your first project will turn out crappy. But have fun doing it and don't forget about safety.

[disappointment2]

Thanks everyone ^___^
And I know balsa wood isnt the sturdiest stuff around, but I dont exactly have a scroll saw or a bam saw or anything, so I dont exactly know how to go about shaping a harder wood. At least with balsa I can just take an x-acto knife to it and cut out what I want.
But yes, this is my first project and it's not great or anything, but I'm very proud of it for my first attempt. I think before I get to staining and whatnot I'll etch in some sort of design on it with my wood burning tool. Not sure how well that'll go since a woodburning tool will go through balsa like butter.

[CIAFreeAgent]

Ponderosa pine isn't all that expensive, and it takes a finish well. You'll find it in the specialty woods section at Home Depot. Just ask one of the people there to help you. That's what they're there for.

I'd recommend you buy a coping saw (looks like a "P"), but has a very thin blade and narrow blade profile, so you can make curved cuts like a scroll saw. Don't worry about trying to cut the wood exactly on your line, just get the general outline, maybe 1/4" from the line, and then sand it down to the line.

For finish, it depends on what you want. A water-based polyurethane finish is fine for things that will take a lot of abuse, such as putting bokken or iaito in the stand. If you're going to stain, I recommend that you do not buy a stain/finish mix, but rather buy them separately. That way, you can test out the stain to see if it's the color and depth that you want.

[BGThomasis]

I'd recommend you buy a coping saw (looks like a "P"), but has a very thin blade and narrow blade profile, so you can make curved cuts like a scroll saw.

How much would one of these cost?? I dont have a job at the moment so money is kinda hard to come by.