[Arbo]

Ok, I am perplexed. I have been working on figuring out how to make some award plaques for our model RC club. I sealed the top of the wood with some sort of spray poly, about 4 coats. Then when dry I cut out the piece, going to zero on top of the wood, then went down .01 further for my z zero. Cut it.

Then painted in the carved out parts. When dry, did a surfacing over the part .01 down. This all figuring that I would cut away the paint that got on top, as well as the sealed top so I could then stain the whole piece.

Well, the paint seems to seep, so you get the ragged looking edges you see in the photo.

So how do you experienced guys do this? Do I cut it then seal the whole thing with a clear, then paint down in the carved part, the sealer making sure the paint doesn't seep into the wood? Then surface the top? I dunno, but I do know I'm getting frustrated figuring out this wood stuff.

Thanks
Paul

(this was just a test to figure out how to do it, and yes, I know there is a spelling error )

[zeed]

I am using fine powder used in powder coating.fill the carvings,remove the powder from the parts you dont wont and put it in oven for 5-6 minutes.
After a little bit of sanding it looks ok.
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.hr/lh/photo/dnMzdI-mtczs0ITFJyHYXA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_tIulvowGIcc/TBND3rd8wKI/AAAAAAAAAcI/_lcyuuhW-MI/s144/DSC04019.JPG" height="108" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.hr/samirhorvat/Cnc?feat=embedwebsite">cnc</a></td></tr></table>

[dlcw]

Hi Paul,

What I've done on several v-carved plaques is to first do the carving. Then I do my finish sanding. Then seal everything with 2 coats of either lacquer or polyurethane spray. Once the sealer dries I come back and use a small airbrush to apply paint to the v-carved portions. Once I get the color I am looking for I sand off the over spray starting with 100 grit and ending at 180 grit.

I then apply the clear coat of choice depending on outdoor or indoor display. For outdoor I use One Step sealer. For indoor I use either lacquer or polyurethane in a rattle can. I've been please with the results so far.

Don
Diamond Lake Custom Woodworks

[Arbo]

Zeed, cool method, I might have to look into that.

Don, thanks, that sounds like what I was doing, minus sealing the cut parts. I'll have to pick up some lacquer and do some test pieces to practice with.

[PropNut]

I do not know if you have access to one or not but, I use a 24" dual drum sander.

I cut the lettering/carving about a 1/16 deeper than it needs to be, then paint the lettering/carving as desired.

Once dry I run it through the sander removing the paint that was on the surface.

I then use a dry rolling method to apply a different color to the face, or I just clear coat the entire thing if that is what the project requires.

[Arbo]

No access to a big sander like that. Do you seal the carving before you paint it?

I'm working on a major cleanup and reorganize out in the shop, so right now the router is covered but hopefully later today or tomorrow I'll be able to get some test pieces cut to fiddle with.

[PropNut]

Not usually, I sand and seal most things before applying laquer but for small carving/lettering jobs I do not.

[dlcw]

I also found that certain woods tend to bleed paint more then others. For example, alder bleeds bad. If you don't seal the v-carved letters really well, you will get a lot of end-grain bleeding in the letters. Maple, on the other hand, doesn't bleed nearly as much and is easier to work with. Western red cedar is also a bleeder as are most of your open grained woods - oak, hickory, etc.).

[davidmb]

I did a set of small plaques recently, the process I used was to cut the part first, sand to remove surface marks, apply several coats of sanding sealer, paint in the design, when dry re-sand the top surface, this cuts back any paint that has strayed out of the cut design back to the edge of the cut line, apply top sealer. The first coat of sealer prevents the paint bleeding into the wood, there are several examples of this in my photo gallery.

[Arbo]

Nice. I have a couple cut out now, second coat of varnish drying. Will then paint the lettering, light sand to take away any paint I get outside of the vcarve. Then top coats.

Will put up pictures when done.

[myozman]

If the wood is already sealed before carving, I spray paint the carved out ares, then while it's still wet ( easier than completely dry), wipe the over spray areas with a towel and acetone. Then hit with scotch brite when dry, and shoot poly or sealer over the whole project. The whole process only takes a few minutes with an air compressor.

Mike

[Arbo]

I'll have to try the spray next time.

These were cut, then 3 coats of varnish to seal. Then hand painted. Then sand to remove the 'overpaint', then more varnish to seal them.

[davidmb]

Looking good Arbo, I have just got my hands on some atomised brass and copper powder, the intention is to mix it with polyester resin, fill a design, sand back and polish, I have seen some examples that look like metal inlay.

Myozman, if the wood is sealed before carving, does the paint not wick up the end grain of the wood? although I guess it will depend a lot on the viscosity of the paint and the type of wood used.

[Arbo]

David, the reason I sealed mine with three coats of varnish first was so the paint did not wick into the wood. I tried one with two coats and still had a bit of wicking, so three was the answer for my project in pine. Of course it will be different as you say, for other woods.

[myozman]

Most of the ones I've done have been in red and white oak. I use a fast dry rustoleum or Black lacquer. Drys really quick. As soon as I spray, I start wiping it off away.

[davidmb]

Arbo, is it really varnish that you are using to seal the wood, I have been using celulose sanding sealer, a coat dries in a couple of minutes that you can sand but you need good ventilation as the fumes are quite bad, sanding sealer tends to be cheaper than varnish, keep the good stuff for the final coat, if you have a lot to do this can speed up the production quite a bit.

[mlk1950]

Has anyone ever tried applying stencil paper to the wood before carving? I thought read somewhere about someone who used this technique. I would think you would still have the bleed problem, so you would to seal the letters after you carved them before spraying.

Thanks Mike

[louieatienza]

When I was doing all this stuff by hand, I would seal everything with a couple coats of shellac first before painting the carvings. Reason being, shellac is generally compatible with all types of finishes when used as a sealer coat. If you use varnish, you're kind of tied into that for the top coats, which may not be a bad thing depending where the sign will be.

Since most of what I do is for indoor use, I use shellac because it dries very fast being alcohol based. After a few coats, I spray lacquer over everything. The first coats have to be very thin to avoid bleed through, and the lacquer dries lightning fast. After 5-6 light coats, I sand the surface off, dust with an air nozzle, and finish the entire piece with lacquer.

You could also use a waterborne polyurethane to finish the whole piece, and fill the letterings etc. with an artist brush and latex paint, using a rag to wipe excess off the surface, though this is time-sonsuming...

[mlk1950]

I do not know if you have access to one or not but, I use a 24" dual drum sander.

I cut the lettering/carving about a 1/16 deeper than it needs to be, then paint the lettering/carving as desired.

Once dry I run it through the sander removing the paint that was on the surface.

I then use a dry rolling method to apply a different color to the face, or I just clear coat the entire thing if that is what the project requires.

When you say dry rolling method, do you use a very short nap roller with most of the paint rolled out before you apply?

Thanks Mike

[zool]

Use masking film.

Paint/varnish the uncut sign.

Let dry.

Apply masking film over the whole sign.

Cut sign.

Only the cut areas [lettering and designs] will be left raw; the rest of the sign will still be covered with film.

Paint cut areas.

Let paint set.

Pull masking BEFORE paint in cut areas [lettering and designs] dries all the way.

Spray varnish over whole sign if required.

WAY simpler than hoping for no bleed through with varnish, shellac, lacquer.

And yes can be expensive, but what is your time worth?