Balsa strop attempt...
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Green looks good. I can’t tell about the grey based on this pic.
Perhaps if the pigments (powders) were suspended in some sort of vehicle like mineral or light olive oil and applied with a brush, the spread of application would be more even. If you want to try again, you could mark out a grid pattern in pencil and lightly sand the surface with a sanding block until the grid pattern is gone. As needed, reapply the grid pattern and lightly sand again until the pigment trace is gone.
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I was thinking of ways to apply the paste and saw suggestions on here and other sites, so I tried. @Alum of Potash I will look into finding other ways to apply the paste to the balsa. Also will look to sand and try again once I do. Thanks for the tips.
If they are dedicated pastes for application, then no further ingredients should be needed as the vehicle (material that holds the polishing paste in suspension) is already there. I thought they might be powders from the pictures.
If they are dedicated pastes, one way to apply them would be to rub them on the thumb pad to build things up there and apply them with the thumb, taking care not to press hard as we are talking about soft balsa wood here. Afterwards, it is important to wash the thumb pad and thumbnail thoroughly to remove any trace of the paste. A Scotchbright scouring pad works well for the thumb pad and a flat blade screwdriver for cleaning beneath the thumbnail. This is not mentioned much, but it is also helpful to score the balsa lengthwise with a utility knife blade to account for the wood's shifting reaction to humidity changes.
If they are dedicated pastes, one way to apply them would be to rub them on the thumb pad to build things up there and apply them with the thumb, taking care not to press hard as we are talking about soft balsa wood here. Afterwards, it is important to wash the thumb pad and thumbnail thoroughly to remove any trace of the paste. A Scotchbright scouring pad works well for the thumb pad and a flat blade screwdriver for cleaning beneath the thumbnail. This is not mentioned much, but it is also helpful to score the balsa lengthwise with a utility knife blade to account for the wood's shifting reaction to humidity changes.
