Black lacquer on carved birch wood ! Please help

[Studiovirii]

Hello ,

My name is Div , I am a fashion designer from Parsons school for design ,New York . I work with a wood sculptor based out of a small village in China . He is awesome and is making my first prototype. The wood he is working with is Birchwood, its carved and cut out. I wanted a high gloss black lacquer finish on it . I would greatly appreciate it if any experts can tell me how to go about it . to go about it. The sculptor is stuck , he is not sure about the process , whether sealant needs to be used first , whether to spray paint the small surface or to use brush . And what all is required to give it a black shiny surface . Any few tips on this would be greatly helpful ! Thank you.

Please see the picture attached here , it's the surface before black lacquer application .

Thank you ,

Div

[wtnhighlander]

Div, what Mike said is good advice. However, if you are going for a high gloss, smooth black finish, sealing the wood with something like shellac will help prevent any pores and/or fuzzy wood fibers from showing. I would apply a well-thinned coat or three if shellac, allow it to cure, then do a final sanding with at least 320 grit paper. Clean away the residue and proceed as Mike described.