Driftwood for home decor.

[Jim in Anacortes]

Bumping my own thread here. It seems that "scraping" a piece of driftwood can produce spectacular results. I'm using an "Excel carving router set". It's like a fancy exacto knife with four different scrapers. Essentially, this tool allows me to scrape away any soft wood. This reveals the "skeleton" of the piece of wood. This process is far different than simply sanding down the wood. Once all the soft wood has been scraped away, the nooks and crannies become intricate designs that easily take a shine. A simple piece of driftwood can be transformed into a beautiful sculpture, simply by using scrapers.

 

[Herkileez]

A local artist, Alex Whitcomb, here in Campbell River BC, has been producing some beautiful sculptures from driftwood found on the beaches. Sky's the limit for imagination.

 

[Jim in Anacortes]

Thanks Herkileez. I like those types of sculptures,,,,but I have nowhere near the artistic ability it takes to make one. That being said, it is quite easy to scrape away the the softwood, smooth and burnish the hard wood, melt wax into the wood and finally make an appropriate base for my new "sculpture". Mother Nature has done all the "art work" I just need to clean it up a little. This process ("LuRon method") does take quite a bit of time, and after "fooling around" with it for awhile, it's apparent that being extremely "picky" when choosing the driftwood piece is critical. Today I braved the freezing rains to collect some material for a base, and found a couple of pieces that I can ponder about investing the time to "finish". Interesting shapes and well worn wood are important, but the color of the wood can really be spectacular. Little by little I am learning to pick out the truly outstanding pieces amongst all the other wood.

 

[Zak]

Thanks Herkileez. I like those types of sculptures,,,,but I have nowhere near the artistic ability it takes to make one. That being said, it is quite easy to scrape away the the softwood, smooth and burnish the hard wood, melt wax into the wood and finally make an appropriate base for my new "sculpture". Mother Nature has done all the "art work" I just need to clean it up a little. This process ("LuRon method") does take quite a bit of time, and after "fooling around" with it for awhile, it's apparent that being extremely "picky" when choosing the driftwood piece is critical. Today I braved the freezing rains to collect some material for a base, and found a couple of pieces that I can ponder about investing the time to "finish". Interesting shapes and well worn wood are important, but the color of the wood can really be spectacular. Little by little I am learning to pick out the truly outstanding pieces amongst all the other wood.

I'd love to see some pictures of your scraped driftwood. Your description reminds me of David James Duncan's "river teeth." This link has a long except if you scroll down:

Amazon product ASIN 0553378279

 

[Stonedfish]

Another option for driftwood is to use smaller pieces and other items you find on the beach to make artwork.
There are some super talented people on Instagram that do this. Here are a few examples.
When I retire in a few years and have more time, I might try my hand at this.
I’m far from artistic, so the results will likely be hilarious.
SF