Ice Bear

In this video, Tim Rousseau an instructor at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship demonstrates how to sharpen a two cherries bench firmer chisel using float glass with sticky back 220 grit sandpaper

Is there a way to seal the end grain on carved letters so it won't soak up too much paint?

While there are some really great router-based letter carving systems on the market, carving letters by hand has several advantages.