For GBOX sunday school this week, I got this idea to let the teens make a wooden cross since we will be teaching about Christ. I got the idea from a gift i received - also a wooden cross, made by an elderly who has passed. Think it will be simple and fun for the teens to try out, and it could be a home decoration. Hope this craft will remind the kids of what Jesus did for them on the cross.
Planning to make a rugged cross and hence I search for sites on how to distress wood. Found how to stain wood a cheap way on this site: http://www.huntedinterior.com/2012/02/natural-gray.html
Anyways, just thought of sharing the process of making the cross... it's pretty easy :)
I soaked steel wool in distilled vinegar overnight
These are some other stuff I prepared. From the left: wood adhesive, tea in hot water (boh/lipton will do), wood varnish, steel wool in vinegar
Firstly I prepared the wood by sanding them and gluing them together. It is so kind of teacher Simon who is a carpenter to prepare these ready pieces for us. These would have taken me forever to prepare if not for his help.
Then I stamped the words on the 'signboard' piece. This looks quite sharp here, but the finished one turned out quite blurry. Still not quite sure how to improve this :p
Then to make the distressed texture, I prepared this piece of wood with some nails on it... to be used to hit on the wood to make nail holes on it. Learnt this online too but forgot where.
Another way of making distressed texture is by hammering the wood, using both the front and back side of the hammer. The sharp tail of the hammer gives it quite a nice texture. I thought of using this technique also as an object lesson symbolizing hammering and nailing Jesus on the cross. And actually because of our sins, its like we are the ones hammering and nailing him to the cross.
And this is the distressed outcome
Then I brushed tea on the cross using paint brush. It gives it a nice red color
Then when the tea is almost dry, I brushed on the treated vinegar and immediately the wood color darkens... especially the slits on the wood... it gets it real good. And slowly it continues to darken more and more.
Actually I think I brushed a little too much that I loose the red color and it turns out to be a really dark brown. But I kinda like this color too :)
And this is how different it is from its raw color
And finally I glue the signboard piece on and finish it with wood varnish and sets to dry under the sun. And there I have my rugged cross (As per first picture :)
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