Balustrade corner thingys

[Craig Euler]

The fancy scrolled triangular corner thingys that go at the top of verandah posts? Do they have special name? But anyway, They have some really special ones that look awfully like they are cut with a laser. Now the question is Does anyone know how best to get rid of that black carbon gunk to be then able to stain or varnish the piece?

[fcm]

Yes, they can be laser cut using similar principals to laser cutting sheet metal shapes. They can actually get some pretty intricate shapes that would see scroll saw owners jaws drop.

The only thing I can think of is using the likes of a small dremel type router with a wire brush attachment.
I've used similar to remove burnt carbon deposits from chainsawn feature edges (in red gum)- I'm not sure if it will work on light coloured timbers though.

Will anyone look at them closely enough to see minor defects where you've sanded <0.25mm off anyhow ?

Regards, Mark