Another Wall Clock

Just finished a second clock, for another christmas gift.  The color in the picture is a bit off, the background is actually black, but needed to get the picture taken so it could get wrapped by SWMBO before departing for ye olde family home early in the morning so this is just a quick cell phone picture under artificial light as its nearly midnight here.

The color is more grey than it shows, the effect is closer to weathered barn wood (which was the intent).  I used a very old oxidizing recipe of steel wool dissolved in vinegar, which reacts with tannins in wood to create a black/grey color depending on the strength.  Pine has very little tannin, so a mixture of strong black tea  was painted on prior to the oxidizer (just for additional tannins, though it does darken the wood just a touch), and then given a light sanding with 220 to even out any blotches/dark areas and raised grain. Oak (which is what the dowel is) will turn nearly black if desired.  I applied some shellac to seal, but I don’t think I would do that again, as it came out a bit too shiny.  Luckily a coat of paste wax muted it a bit.

I also substituted a shallow groove for the bead, which I thought was more appropriate for the country/rustic intent of the piece.  Overall I’m pretty pleased, only one gap this time around and I could have corrected it had I been more meticulous, I know better than to rely on clamping pressure!#@#! >:-(