Mountain Ash burl prep and finish

[TimmyFox]

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

[verawood]

Welcome Tim.

[russ57]

For a sign, i would think 240 is plenty.
Re sign writing, it depends.. How are you as an artist? You could print it out in reverse and transfer to the wood then paint.
Probably a clear sealer over the top. Others may have a recommendation.
Hard to know how wet it is without measuring, unless you know how long it has been dried. I understand resin could bleed for a long time, no idea how to seal that.

Hope this helps

[double.d]

If the burl has a high moisture content i don't believe paint will adhere to it. The better option would be to have it laser engraved but i think the first thing you should do is find someone with a moisture meter and find out the content.