Walking Stick Z - Part 10

A milestone has been met on the project!  I have completed wood burning all the Celtic Knot Work onto the walking stick.  It has taken a fairly long time.  I have been working on this project on and off all summer.  I only have a few hours of spare time, and I can only do so much wood burning at one time before my hand becomes too tired.  But preserverence has once again paid off.  Working a little at a time has finally brought we to the end of this segment of the project. 

I could end the project at this point.  However, there is more that can be done here to upscale the stick.  I plan to paint the lines of the knot work with fourteen carat gold paint.  Painting will not take as long as the wood burning segment.  I expect to complete the project in a week or so.

I always try to experiment with a different product or technique with each project.   For this project I am trying using clear Gesso as a primer for the gold paint on the walking stick.  I have used white Gesso in other applications. Although you cannot see it in the photos, I have already painted the walking stick with clear Gesso.  If you were
looking at it in person, you would notice a slight gloss, where the Gesso has been painted within the lines of the knot work.  The clear Gesso is an

advantage in that if some of it gets into the wood burned lines it dries clear.  When I used white Gesso I was constantly cleaning out the wood burned lines with a bit of paper towel and a toothpick.  When I examined the walking stick this morning I did not see any areas where the clear Gesso looked cloudy.

Now that the Gesso has dried for twenty-four hours I can start painting with the gold paint.  I will be using a small round brush for this.  The brush I selected for the Gesso was a little larger and I had less control over the Gesso than I would have liked.  The painting will take a bit longer using the smaller brush, but that will pay off in time saved from not having to get the paint out of the wood burned lines.  I also have to take time for the paint to dry.  As the knot work spirals around the stick, I have to make sure that I am not smearing the wet paint as I turn the stick.  I will probably finish the project within a few days.

There is a hurricane off the coast.  It may or may not be a direct hit on this area.  It is too soon to tell.  The weather models are all over the place. We are already starting to get rain, and flood alerts are out for my state, as well as for most of the East Coast.  If I do not make the next post on Sunday, it probably means we are without electricity.  The last time a big storm came through we were without power for ten days.  I will post again as soon as I can.