The frame looks great…im new to all this and im trying to figure the process you used. How are you spraying on the colors in step 4 without taping and masking off??
He’s not. The colors are just for the engraved areas, so when he goes back to sand (just the flat surface of the sign), everything else gets cleaned off. This leaves painted engravings and plain wood everywhere else.
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Ohhhhh so the Polyurethane finish goes over everything including the paint??
Well, I didn’t write it, but I would assume so. The initial gloss coats are to seal the wood grain both before and after the engraving. The second coat also gives you some extra to sand off after you paint your design. Once everything is painted and sanded, poly the whole damned thing to encase it in a protective shell (and even out the surface finish). I would assume you would want to follow whatever poly surface finishing steps you usually take, including multiple coats and sandings for that buttery smooth finish.
If you’re hardcore, you could even do some crazy stuff like fill your engraving with resin instead of painting it before sanding it back down (look for YouTube videos on wood/resin tabletops for large-scale abstract versions of this). That would work well for horizontal surfaces, although you may want to go with a sharper v-carving bit, or even a chamfered straight channel to help the resin hold. Or even just clear acrylic after painting to build up a flat surface.
Hardcore, crazy stuff you say?
[attachment file=114324] [attachment file=114325] [attachment file=114326]
Painting the engraving with a little resin before you pour the colored resin because it can bleed into the fibers too, mostly with soft woods.
[attachment file=114327]
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I say, and will say again.
That is some beautiful work there! Shine on, you crazy diamond!
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JM2C - different clear coats for different projects. I really like shellac I use it all the time it does dry very quickly however I have never used canned shellac. If you really would like to use shellac the only way to do it is to buy dry crystals and mix them yourself. I’ve always read that shellac has a shelf life of 90 days. Often times shellac is labeled as a 3 pound mix, this means that 3 pounds of dry crystals are mixed with 1 gallon of denatured alcohol. When you mix your own shellac you can make it thicker or thinner is required. 3 pound is a good starting point it would be easy to brush it into your carved outline with a small brush and it would dry within 20 min. only lacquer based paints will make it soft. Enamel paint will not, nor will water-based paints.
I rarely use polyurethane on small items because it has a tendency to turn yellow. My preference is clear acrylic spray which will remain clear even after a long period of time. If you’re building something for outdoor use, spar varnish would be the best, as it has the most UV protection.
Another option if you’re going to use acrylic paints is to cover your work piece with PVC-E glue. PVC-E glue can be thinned with water to whatever consistency desire. However if you search for PVC-E glue you will find that people want $8 for 2 ounces. You can go to your local big box store and look for Phenoseal clear caulk. You can buy a 10 ounce tube for $5, and mix it with water until you have a milk like consistency. Brush it on and it will seal the wood.
All woods are porous through the end grain. Probably pine up to 1 inch thick you can blow air through the end grain with your air compressor. I build a lot of air channels out of wood, the old-school sealant was shellac the newest school sealant is Phenoseal.
For the lettering on the outer edge of these. I spray acrylic clear after the wood burning, carve, more clear, and paint the letter with a syringe and needle. I grind the needle point flat, I can completely fill the letter with paint and let it dry. The paint does need to be thinned a little to flow through the needle.[attachment file=114386]
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