Wooden Star-Spangled Uncle Sam

1. To prevent the ink from smearing, spray the inked areas with Krylon 1311 clear acrylic spray. Let the spray dry. Apply your favorite antiquing medium to all surfaces of the cutouts. Let the antiquing medium dry. 2. Hammer three brads into the vest for buttons. Sand spots of paint from the hands, the banner, the shoes, and the two stars where the pieces join. Epoxy the banner to Uncle Sam and one star to each shoe. Let the epoxy set, and hammer a brad through each star. 3. Epoxy one end of a 1-inch length of 18-gauge wire into the bottom of the remaining star; epoxy the other end into the hat. Attach the flag to his hand in the same manner, using 4 inches of 16-gauge wire. Using the same technique, attach the shoes with the 1/4-inch dowels. Let the epoxy set. Spray all surfaces with Krylon 1311 clear acrylic spray, and let the spray dry.