sand blasting wood sculpture

[unclej]

most of the work that i have done and will do involves found wood, drift wood. i do a lot with root balls and wood that had just been exposed to the elements for years. generallly i carve, grind and sand to get the finished piece but i've got an amazing piece of wood that after weathering has been left with dozens of 1"-2" curved points..like feathers. i don't want to change them at all but need to remove the surface discoloration so that the grain shows through. i could hand sand them with 400-600 grit paper but that would take a tremendous amount of time.

does anyone have any experience and/or advice regarding sandblasting techniques that might accomplish what i want? i've read a lot the last few nights but most of the information available is in regard to cleaning buildings, stripping cars, etc. i saw one reference to blasting with baking soda and that seems fine enough to clean without stock removal. am i on the right track?

thanks
unclej

[clifton]

Hi unclej,

I work some with driftwood.

Sandblasting does sound interesting, but I hacven't yet tried it.

I have managed a similar task of removing surface material by sanding. Using a think piece of foam attached to a palm finishing sander and 400 grit sand paper.

The machine saved a lot of work and time.

good luck,
Clifton
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