Dave..., for the triangle accents, I stab in a central line, and a "base line", making a "T". If it's a curved accent the appropriate curved gouge is used, if straight, I use a double bevel skew. I then use a small double bevel skew to create the two sides, like chip carving. Hope that makes sense...
Mikeh..., Permalyn sealer and finish are exactly the same thing, the sealer is just thinned out more. I learned this technique from Bill Shipman. After the stock is stained, it's soaked with the sealer. I use a brush and really slather it on, until the wood doesn't readily accept any more, then move on to the next area. Let the sealer dry for 24 hours. The following coats are applied with a small cloth (2"x2", 3"x3"). Get the cloth nice and wet, and gently wipe on the sealer. It takes about two minutes to do the whole stock. Just be careful of runs... Don't rub, just wipe it on. Let it sit until it feels dry, usually around three hours, maybe a bit longer, then apply additional coats in the same manner. I typically do four to five coats in this manner. After the sealer is dried, the entire stock is rubbed with mineral oil or paraffin oil, and rotten stone or pumice stone. I use an old tooth brush for the oil / stone scrubbing. I usually put the oil on the stock with the tooth brush, then sprinkle on the stone powder. Wipe off with a clean rag. Go slow at first until you get the desired results. Too much vigorous scrubbing can take off the varnish... Once you get the hang of it, it's simple. Also..., I find that I use almost an entire can of Permalyn using this method. The first "soaking" coat is important...
The only advantage I've found is that the sealer doesn't tend to build up around raised carving, or fill incised carving like the finish does.
Sorry for the dissertation. I know everyone typically has strong feelings regarding finishing and finishes, but after using just about everything in the book, I kept circling back to this method, which works for me.
Ed
