Thread: Mountain Ash burl prep and finish

Hey there.

I'm after a little bit of help. I have this amazing Aussie Mountain Ash burl that i'm prepping for my sister-in-laws wedding. It is to be made into a bar sign, so ideally sanded to smooth, writing on it and some form of coating last. I have just gotten the burl and spend all day hand sanding the bad boy with 60grit sandpaper. Tomorrow i will use 80, then 120, then 240. I have a couple of questions hopefully some well seasoned professionals can help me with.
1: It appears to be green timber. There is one particular spot where sap constantly seeps from. Will the timber being green affect what i want? Or will its condition mean i need to teat it differently as apposed to kiln dried timber?
2: how much should i sand it? is 240grit enough?
3: once sanded, should i have an artist paint the sign?
4: what should i put on the timber once the sign has been painted? I want it to stand out, but most importantly i want the natural life design of the burl to be showcased.
5. Will I need to have the burl dried before i can go any further?

I'll attach some photos of the 60grit sanded burl, hopefully soneone can point me in the correct direction.

Thanks, Tim