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WATER DAMAGED BAPTISMAL FONT

919 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  JBrow 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)


Hi folks. I've volunteered to repair a damaged baptismal font for my church. I'm sure some of the damage is from water dripped during the baptism, but it appears most of the damage is underneath the part that is normally covered with a lid. The wood appears to be red oak.
My first thought was to just sand it down and cover it with a few coats of exterior polyurethane, but I'm wondering if anyone has had some experience with this and would have some better suggestions.
Also, seems it would also be good to come up with a way to leave a gap between the lid and the font so moisture has a way to escape.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
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#3 ·
I'm building my third font at the moment. I also spend a lot of time heling cingregations engage baptism more deeply. Here's my advice:
1) rout out the hole to a bigger diameter
2) get a bigger bowl, preferably trnansprent (or thin metal that reverberates when water is poured on it)
3) ditch the lid. (Thus solved mg that problem).

Since most folks probably this discussion a bit off topic, private message me if you'd like to discuss it further.

As for the wooD, after you get the color you want, waterborne poly will build up quickly to protect it.
 
#5 ·
Fuzzface,

I would think that sanding down to bear wood and applying multiple coats of polyurethane or even spar urethane would restore the beauty of the font and prolong its life. I would think 5 coats on the upper and bottom surface would be sufficient. At least 5 coats on the end grain including the center cut-out bowel recess; until the end grain no longer absorbs the finish and it begins to build up.

However, since CharlesA has experience building baptismal fonts, if his advice differs from mine, I will differ to him. While his experience his designing and building very elegant fonts, I am sure he can offer sound advice for the repair/re-vitalization of the font in your care.
 
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