I don't have a suggestion for filling it in, but I have to say, that's one beautiful turtle!

Since I do mosaics - I'd say grout. Be sure you wax the wood so it doesn't stick. By the looks of the gaps - use sanded grout . ( gaps under 1/8 th inch can use unsanded grout ) Is there no end to your talent ???

D---A---N---G !!

Polymeric Sand comes to mind as it goes on dry then hardens after wetting. It would work in those small joints, but it doesn't work too well in joints over about 5/8 inch.

tj

You can get glow-in-the-dark powder and mix with two part polyester to fill in the gaps.

The poly will glue everything together, and in the night time the gaps will glow and outline the turtle design very nicely.

You can get many different glow powder colors.

dcarch

I don't have any suggestions (I might fill it with fine gravel since grout will suck the moisture out of the wood) but I have to say it looks terrific! Love the wood you used!

Dcarch might have meant polyurethane. They make a very thick pour poly that is sold at Hobby Lobby and Michaels or any store that has art supplies. Some people use it for decopageing something that requires a very thick coating.

I am so impressed with how that turned out. You are very creative indeed.

WOW, Big D, that is a BEAUTIFUL turtle. I'm blown away by your creativity. I can't wait to see the whole thing finished, but am so glad you showed us things now.
Super Job!!!

hugs, Karen

Big D, my thots was to attach turtle and letters to a piece of cement board then fill in with what you decide is the best to use outside. May I suggest posting this question on the stained glass/mosaic forum. There are some people over there who can offer advice on how to do this.

This is going to be the hit of your deck. He is so cool.

Kat

Oh...I'm lovin' this project! I'm no help though...not my line.

Really nice work...can hardly wait to see it finished!!

~Sandy~

1. The gaps are too small for gravel.
2. Wood expands and contracts a lot, so grout will not work.

I do mean polyester (for making fiber glass and marine repairs, UV resistant. Polyeurethane is too thick and not UV resistant.)

Of course you don't have to use glow-in-the-dark powder, but it would look spectacular to see the outlines of the design in the night.

BTW: isn't it true that Tortoise walk and turtles swim? :-)

dcarch

Looking good!

My question is---Why do you have to fill it in with anything? Why not leave it alone, it looks great just the way it is. You will have to find something that will expand and shrink with the wood.
Of course you could just make your own filler with some glue, paint to tint glue, and sawdust.

You guys are way too kind - just something that I find relaxing, though I may change my mind when Mrs. Know and I try to carry it up and put it in place. When I was a kid (10 to 30) I wanted to be an artist, but my father (as awful a man as he was) kept telling me that artists are 'queers' (gay did not exist in the 50's and 60's as far as I know) and I was not yet strong enough emotionally to tell him to shove it - so hence after one year at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh I dropped out and got my first degree in Advertising and then went on to initiate a couple of things you guys might be familiar with (All-Tempa-Cheer and Cheryl Tiegs (what a Nice person she was) as spokesperson for Benson and Hedges). Anyway, if and when I retire I think I would like to spend my days doing oil portraits again or opening up a picture frame shop. But then again, I would have to retire and probably see better than I do now.

I will try to finish it this weekend, but am not sure. I still have to decide what shade to seal the letters with, then glue and screw everything into place. Drilling the drain holes are a problem too - I though I could space them evenly, but experience is showing me otherwise!

Probably lots of little cuts to insert pieces into some of the larger 'cracks' and then sand all the surrounding boards to make the seal look really nice and enhance any contrast.

All of the boards, except 2 are from scrap on the original deck construction and some are sealed a different color/shade on the back. All, except the letters, have been double coated with Burnt Umber acrylic paint, just in case I go with a clear silicone rubber to something.

Has anyone ever heard of decomposed granite? The people at Lowes thought I just landed from outter space when I asked - but someone in on a different site suggested it.

I have really thought about using a sand grout that I have a couple of bags of, that were used in Mrs. Knows bathroom when we redid it a couple of years ago. It seems to have held up very well, but I was worried about the 'over-spread' but toomuchglass answered that question.

BTW: isn't it true that Tortoise walk and turtles swim?

I have no clue. I thought about making this out of a land turtle pattern, but I liked the way the water turtle spread out. The land turtle would have been too easy and not enough of a challenge I think.

All I can say at this point is that what ever woman (it had to be a menopausal women I believe) invented the scroll saw with spiral blades deserves a Nobel Award! I keep telling my friend that I borrowed it from that he may never get it back.

My next project, I think, is to get a large block (6x6 or 8x8) chunk or cherry, oak or maple and see if I can't make my own turtle - just for the heck of it.

Mrs. Know has other ideas though and the truth is that I don't have an indoor space to do any of this stuff. The patio is covered with tools and saw dust and scrap pieces and I am surprised that she hasn't been 'suggesting' that I correct the situation yet - but she will!

Last but not least, tomorrow (8/8/88) is my 21st anniversary of being diagnosed with leukemia!

Happy Anniversary and may you have many many more.

Did you consider using wood putty in the gaps? That is how I would do it (I have refinished several wood furniture pieces and worked with the putty a lot.) It is a wood product and it can even be stained or stay a raw wood color. Then You could seal it with exterior polyurethan. We made a crushed granite path once and bought it from a 'dirt yard'. HD and Lowes probably does not carry it.

And I didn't miss your 8/8/88 anniversary! Hurrah, YOU!

Wow Big! What an wonderful talent. Tell Mrs no that she should know she lives with Michael Angelo (hummm rhymes) Congrats on 21 years it is surely time to celebrate by tapping into your artistic abilities!!!! Sometimes decomposed granite is called Class 5 and is used for base for pavers. They have that at Lowes and HD but they call it different things in different places. That would keep the water from "sitting" on the wood (is usually used to help drain because it is coarser than sand. Whatever you do....it is extraordinary. Thanks for sharing early.

Congrats on the 20 year recovery! It is good to see you put that artistic talent to work. Like you, I wanted to be an artist of some sort growing up. I always loved singing, crafting, writing and drawing. But my parents felt it wasn't a "sensible" profession. For my entire adult life, I have been horribly unhappy in the world of business. I find great happiness in crafting and writing. So keep up the good work, you are very talented!

P.S. Little did your father know that women find artistic men sexy and they have been known to haven their pick of women! (Or men if they lean that way. lol)

luna, isn't it a shame that we can't do what we really want to do and still make a living and be happy? Well meaning parents probably, but what I have learned over the years is that the best thing a parent can do is to support whatever it is that their kids think they want to do - no matter what.

Somehow we forget that money is not everything and being happy with nothing is a lot better than being unhappy with everything.

Just my .02 worth.

And, as I look ar my history with women, being gay might not have been a bad option (JUST KIDDING)!