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Finishes You can choose from a variety of finishes for your horse or no finish at all. A clear finish will make the horse more soil resistant and bring out the color of the wood. I have never done it, but you could choose a paint if you like. Clear vegetable oils are my choice as a finish. I make a 50/50 mixture of Walnut oil and Sunflower oil and brush it on quite heavily. Thirty minutes later I wipe off all I can. Don't try to build up layers of oil. They never get very hard and many layers can be gummy. I buy my oil at grocery stores so it is completely nontoxic, even edible. These oils have a long history as wood finishes and are similar to Tung oil, without its toxicity. They are drying oils and after a few days are completely dry.
If your horse is to be used in a preschool or office I suggest a clear poly-urethane finish. Poly is more work to apply, (sanding between coats) but is both more durable and more protective than oil. You need just such a tough, washable, plastic finish for the hundreds of little hands found in schools or offices. For home use though, I prefer the look and texture of a natural oil. They are easy to apply and need little care. Once a year a little mineral oil renews the luster of the original vegetable oil finish. Once every generation a bit of work with sandpaper will restore the original looks. When your finish is dry gather about 15 strands of jute fiber together in one hand to make a tail. Add or subtract strands until you have a bundle about 3/4 inch in diameter and 8 to 10 inches long. Use a lot of glue in the tail hole and between the strands before inserting the bundle into the hole. Drive a small dowel into the center of the jute and into the hole to secure it. That's the tail. Trim and fray to suit. I hope your horse is beautiful and brings your memory to the minds of generations of children.
by John Michael Linck Toymaker |
Method: The interaction of tools, processes, and materials. An honest use of materials, never making the material seem that which it is not, is a good method. Materials and tools must be used optimally, never using one material where another can do the job less expensively and/or more efficiently. The steel beam in a house, painted a fake wood grain; the molded plastic bottle designed to look like expensive blown glass; the 1967 cobbler's bench reproduction dragged into a twentieth-century living room to provide dubious footing for martini glass and ash tray: these are all perversions of materials, tools, and processes. Design for the Real World - 1972 Victor Papanek |
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