How can I treat this carving so the wood doesn’t deteriorate and can be cleaned but the tiny shapes stay visible?

Been working on a lid for a sealed terrarium. I’ve made fairly detailed cuts on a CNC. The picture doesn’t do it justice. I intend to seal the bottom with paraffin to get a good seal with the glass. That will also protect the wood from moisture but I’m not sure how to treat the top. Every piece has an error in it, here I forgot to calibrate the bit height which made a bad cut in the bottom in the last step which I intend to fill with paraffin too.

The top is cut in 4mm, 0.8mm and vcarve bits (0.3mm and 0.1mm tip) and I wonder what I could use whilst still having the shapes pop nicely. Light and shadows play nicely in the grooved cuts.

  • BradleyUffner@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    20 hours ago

    If it’s going to be in contact with soil in the terrarium there isn’t much that will protect it long term without also leeching in to the terrarium environment. I’d probably go with something like pure Tung oil. Make sure it’s fully cured though, that could be a few weeks.

    If you aren’t as concerned about that and want something though, go with a marine varnish like WaterLox.

    • madnificent@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      20 hours ago

      It won’t be on the soil, it will become the lid. The terrarium will be sealed for water so the bottom will become a paraffin wax which should keep the moisture out. The top will gradually collect dust though and the thin lid ideally shouldn’t bend too much.

      Tung oil could be nice.

      I’m afraid varnish will fill the voids too much and make the tiny cuts fade.

        • madnificent@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          13 hours ago

          Good idea! Also like the_v said, it could help to contrast the shapes in the cut.

          I thought of using a limited tint so it would blend with the other untreated wood nearby, but a darker color could make the shapes stronger. It also tends to make the wood’s internal structure stand out more.

      • The_v@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        17 hours ago

        For a sealant, I would use a spray on lacquer. After 5+ coats it is pretty water resistant. I would personally do 7 or 8 coats on that piece.

        You can stain and seal the cut-outs first (paint a little lacquer into the cutouts with a fine brush). Then stain the surface a few shades darker to make them pop out.

        You can also reverse it and make them darker. Either way the contrast in color will make them more visible.

        • madnificent@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          2·
          13 hours ago

          First staining and then applying a lacquer is a great idea. Will the lacquer not fill the cuts and make them less visible? Or does it keep a depth effect?

          Anything in particular to look for in the lacquer? I’d prefer a natural look to fit with the raw wood in the rest of the piece. However, it sits on a glass bowl so I suppose glossy could have its charm on that too.

          • The_v@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            12 hours ago

            Lacquer needs to go on in very thin coats. Getting yourself a good spraying setup is a bit expensive but worth it if you do a lot of projects. You can find it in paint spray cans as well. They work very well for small projects.

            Just be sure to apply it outside. The fumes from it has a real kick. I generally apply it with all the doors open in the garage plus a spray shield setup around it with some old shower curtains.