Even though I haven’t finished the Treasure Tray yet, I wanted to share what I’ve done so far! This is actually the first build I’ve ever customized, so I was really excited to finally have the chance to make one my own.
This build is definitely taking me a lot longer than I expected, mostly because I’ve been taking my time with the finishing process. I noticed the kit didn’t come with sandpaper, so I had to borrow a sheet from one of my other kits. I already knew I wanted to apply varnish to the wood, so I initially tried using a paintbrush. Unfortunately, the varnish dried on the brushes and basically ruined them, so I switched to using an old shirt to apply it instead. That ended up working much better, although it took some practice to get an even coat on all the pieces.
Before varnishing, I sanded the edges and colored them with a colored pencil. For the thicker pre-cut pieces that go along the sides and act as handles, I used a brown marker instead. I thought the darker edges matched the rest of the build better and gave those pieces a more polished look.
One thing I’m still trying to figure out is why the darker wood has such a noticeable variation in color between some of the pieces, even though I used the same varnish on everything. Maybe I accidentally applied a thicker coat to some pieces? I’m not sure.
So far, everything is going well. The kit itself has been very good quality, and I’ve really enjoyed experimenting with the finishing process. I’m excited to see how everything looks once I finally finish putting it together!
It looks great! I love the effect of the varnish. Maybe some pieces of wood were more porous than others, and absorbed more varnish? That’s the only thing I can think of that would explain the darker pieces.
I think the color is great.
