Sealing Stone

["George Graham" <georgergraham@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Linda,

First, John's advise is dead on target. Going with the method taught by
Lisbon is fine. sanding and then waxing alabaster gives a great finish.
Your arrogant "friend" is right about protecting your piece. But dead wrong
about using watco on alabaster. It will soak in and change the stone. Watco
is great for wood, not stone.

You do have a lot of choices on what to seal and protect your sculpture. If
you leave it unsealed it will become stained from people feeling your
sculpture. The oil of your hand will leave a yellowish discoloration over
time. A stain will show up very well on clear white alabaster!
In order to minimize small scratches and stains, hand, coffee, etc. on the
alabaster I carve, I use a stone and tile sealer finish for tile , slate and
terrazzo. Its made by "Trewax" and is for interior use. Its an acrylic
urethane that goes on a stone floor. If its tough enough to walk on so it
will protect your piece.

I take a thin cloth, put a very small amount on it, and rub it out over the
stone, as thin as possible. So thin that it dries instantly. Go over the
whole piece 3 times and you will have a very clear protective finish. You
can sand your work as fine as you wish to bring out the beauty of the stone,
but you still need to protect alabaster. Its very soft and easily damaged. I
usually throw in the towel when I get to 600 grit, but if you want to go up
to 3000 ,more power to you!

Try different finishes , experiment and stay with stone products.

Watco!!! Give me a break.

You are NOT the moron! You are doing fine.
Have fun, and keep up the good work
George Graham