This is what my husband and I have been working on these last few weeks. Am 8" x 6" birch wood box laser carved, painted and assembled for a gift for my older brother. His birthday was soon and I wanted to make him something special. We bought the thicker birch wood off Amazon.
We have a glow forge laser and are still learning how to use it. But found a free pattern for the box here and I used some coloring book cartoons for the waves. Once we tested the pieces on draftboard we then made corrections for sizes and material thickness. Then burned the birchwood. After the burning I peeled off the tape and started to paint the undercoat.
The top of the box was thick and deep burn to showcase the waves.
Painting the top.
Testing the stains. I used unicorn spit stain which is a water based stain in brilliant colors. And they have some with glitter as well. But I wanted the scrimshaw look not glitter. The unicorn spit is very rich hue and binding to the material. After the stain dried I tested out sealers. Most ran until I used a water based polyacrylic sealer. You can find Unicorn spit on line.
All the pieces are painted and sealed and ready for assembly, glue and wax cover. I used bowling alley wax to give the box a nice soft sheen. I sanded 3000 grit between each stain coat, seal coat and then wax.
The final box finished. Left the inside unpainted and the bottom plain. Note the all wood mechanical hinges, no metal needed.
This was a learning curve for both of us. I had the designs and kind of box, but my husband had to work out the maths and the computer part. But it did turn out quite nice. And my big brother is very happy.
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