finishing tips needed??

[myxpykalix]

I'm making a plaque for my vet and before i V carve the text into the plaque i need some questions answered.

I want to vcarve the doctors name and spray maybe black paint into the letters but not get it on the surface. I do NOT have any sign paint mask.

My thought was to use a polyurethane to cover the surface, let it dry THEN vcarve the letters.
Spray the letters and the paint will stick to the untreated surface of the vcarved letters but wipe off the surface correct?

Any better suggestions? What's the recipe fr Joe's Snake Oil mask?

[knight_toolworks]

close after you cut the letters put the poly in the letters to seal them spray them and a light sand to remove the extra paint then another coat or two.

[dlcw]

I use a couple of coats of shellac in a spray can (big box stores) to seal the surface after I v-carve. Make sure you get all insides of the v-carving by spraying it from all directions. Then I use Marsh stencil ink (Grainger) for black lettering/graphics. I use inexpensive paints in my airbrush for other colors. I then normally seal it with lacquer for indoor use or deft oil (sprayed on using a Cricket sprayer in thin coats) if it's for outdoor use. Has worked well for ten years with this method.

[knight_toolworks]

I like shellac too but it is a pain to clean the brushes and my shop is in the basement of a old building so vapors have no place to go and no space for overspray. so I stick with waterborne finishes.
I just did these. I used a foam roller for the finish and a brush for the letters. I love a good sign paint the yellow covers in a single coat and it dries really fast. I have seven of these name boards to do for tub boats these three were rush jobs and I had to make sure what I was cutting lasted long enough for the finish to dry enough not to collect sawdust.

[Michaelodunk]

If you don't like to clean the that shellac brush after use just wipe it off to get most of the shellac off and let get hard. Next time you want to use it just stick it in some alcohol and it will soften up like new. It the best thing about shellac

Mike

[James M]

Knight_Toolworks

Nice Signs! The yellow looks great. Is the sign made out of Walnut? I'm curious what type of poly did you roll out? The reason I ask is that I've tried General Finishes High Performance Polyurethane Water Based Topcoat but found that rolling created a bunch of small bubbles. Even applying with a disposable foam brush created small bubbles.

James

[knight_toolworks]

good idea about the shellac. though as seldom as I do finishing the brush may become a rock (G) I used general finishes exterior 450 and a foam roller. I have had a few that left the bubbles but this does not. the wood is sepele I finally paid a big company to supply and glue up the panels it was cheaper overall when I figure how much of a hassle it is fort me to do glueups.
here is one of last years signs

[RossMosh]

Given the fact you don't have masking, I would definitely recommend not spraying the paint for the letters. You absolutely want to use a brush to minimize the mess. Cleaning up spray paint means using DNA(typically). While your finish won't have an issue with a light rub of DNA, it could very well start to fail when wiping a decent amount of paint off the surface. If you wipe while the paint hasn't completely dried, it's easier to get off but it's also easier to ruin the paint in the letters.

I'd recommend sanding the part down until it's ready for finishing. Do your painting with a brush. Let it dry. Sand off the black paint "mess". Then finish with whatever you want. Just make sure the black paint is really cured. You don't want the dust to actually stick to the letters. If you're using oil enamel, I'd let it dry for 24 hours. Latex, double it. It's better to be safe on these types of projects because I always find fixing mistakes is a heck of a lot harder than doing it right the first time.

[Keith Larrett]

I'm far from an expert, the attached image was my first attempt at something like this. Also, this was cut from plywood, not solid wood.

1. Stain plywood
2. Spray seal coat
3. V-Carve
4. Stain carving with black stain. I just painted it on with a small brush. Any "spillage" was easy to wipe off the sealed surface.
5. Spray seal coat
6. Spray top coat

I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out. I think a good part of the reason was I used a high-quality plywood with a poplar core. It carved really well. I'm not sure the results would have been as good with a lower grade plywood with a pine/fir core.

[bob_reda]

i use a water base paint to do the letters. Like everyone else said, poly or shellac after the cut. It helps prevent the paint from spidering into the wood. With the water base it is a lot easier to wipe than the spray stuff. Then after the paint dries, poly the whole sign again (including letters)
Bob

Bob