That's one project in the bank. Next project, next project!

I finally finished the snake table! It only took me a sixer of Kirin Light, the entire Firefly series, and a Sunday afternoon. 
Here it is, all scratched in. I am pretty proud of how the head came out: 

More after the jump...

 
I sealed it with Minwax Polycrylic instead of regular wood varnish/finish.  Regular finish is only made to go over bare, sanded wood and isn't as durable as polycrylic. Plus, the poly is water-based and dries quickly. I got two coats on in one evening. 
A note to the ladies: People at home improvement stores are a little too helpful, sometimes. When I went to check out, the cashier asked if I needed a brush (I didn't) and waived the paint counter guy over. Paint counter guy proceeded to quiz me on what I was going to use the sealant for and did NOT want to let me leave before explaining to me the importance of ventilation and sanding between coats.  I let him go on with himself. He was a nice, fatherly type man who was only trying to be nice and fatherly.

I made the snake by scratching off the layer of paint that was sitting on top of the table's original varnish, leaving the original varnish to show through. The varnish was old and craggy, though, so I had to scratch through it into the wood in quite a few places, resulting in light, raw areas. The poly re-finished those places and made all the open wood areas the same color, again: 

When I began the snake, I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do so I made all of the scales small. They kept getting larger and more dimensional as I got more comfortable with it.  This resulted in the left side of the table looking different than the right.
Oh, well. That is what coffee table books are for:

I'm happy to have somewhere to put my feet.


Your Sister in Craft.


LB