Filling in letters

[cmagro]

I am building a sliding ladder for a client and we want each rung to have a literature type engraved.

I do not want it to be inlay work..would I would like is to stain the rung, apply poly, engrave text, fill with "??", let dry and seal.

Any suggestions on the best material to use for "??"

Also I am not set on the method above...suggestions on the best way to accomplish this task would be appreciated.

Christian


6808

[erik_f]

If you went with a darker stain on the ladder you could stain your wood first then v cut out the letters and apply a clear stain to the letters.

[rcnewcomb]

Epoxy resin will work. Note that some types of resin shrink as they cure. Try one before you do the rest.

[myxpykalix]

There is a substance called "Inlace" do a search for more info or go here:
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/w9sm/popular-searches/inlace-inlay?Args=

probably a cheaper alternative is as colored epoxy?
BTW- you made anymore good indexer work lately?

[jseiler]

How about just carving the outline of the letters with a 1/16 or 1/32 inch bit and filling the groove with dark wood putty. I've done this and it turns out pretty nice.

[blackhawk]

Christian - About a year ago, a guy showed me a small plaque where he filled in the letters with colored epoxy. He used some epoxy that he bought from either Lowes or HD that is for coating bar tops. He mixed in a small amount of paint with the epoxy. He filled the letters with a little overfill, let it cure, then sanded smooth, and then topcoated with a clear finish. I remember that it looked pretty good.

[cmagro]

Brad,

That's exactly what I had in mind. I just wanted something of a putty-like consistency that I could spread with a putty knife and sand when dry to give that inlay look. I think I just wanted to know that the method I had planned had been done before and got the job done.

Thanks to everyone for the input.

And Jack,
I've done many design for the indexer and lathe but I must say most of my work this year has been making and installing mouldings. Staircase work is quite slow...except for remodels..not too bad in that market.
I was just commissioned to do a double staircase, entire moulding and moulding installation in a pretty large home (only the second decent size project this year). There are a few archways but the staircases are getting box newels. Not one turning for this project.

[propellers]

Use only epoxy resin, polyester resin will shrink and possibly crack as it curing and does not bond well with wood. Any epoxy that cures in an hour or greater is best. A color adgent can be purchased from a resin or an automotive paint dealer. To eliminate bleading of the resin into the wood first use the clear resin to brush into the cutout. When nearly cured or after cure mix the color to a vessel of resin. To remove air bubbles that has been whipped in the resin when mixing, use a torch to flash just the surface of the resin, this will break the bubbles. Slowly pour resin into the cavity and slightly over fill, but not enough to run onto the wood that must be stained or stain will not be able to penetrate the pores. When cured sand resin to meet the rung.

[curtiss]

I've used the Minwax water based stain that can be tinted to any color. Not sure how deep you are cutting, but you can paint it in or fill the letters with a syringe.

It scrapes out. sands out or cleans up pretty easy after it drys overnight.

I would suppose for steps you would want to then coat it with something durable.

[c_kling]

the best thing to use is the west system. call
a boat repair supply store .it is clear and stays
that way and will stand up to .

[coolhammerman]

Christian:
Here is a thread you may be interested in. Be sure to scroll down to the photos. Although this is done with marble, the method would be very similar with wood.

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/312/30769.html#POST68270

1) Stain the wood and apply top coat, poly, lacquer, etc.
2) When thoroughly dry apply a paint mask
3) V carve the letters
4) Leave the paint mask in place and spray the carved letters with shellac to seal the freshly cut wood.
5) Paint letters. They are recessed in this application. You may prefer this look.

Good luck.
Ron

[mmason]

you could carve out the letters and then seal the step and sand the flat and then stain. The sealer will sand of pretty easy. The stain will wipe off the letters.

[mmason]

Sorry don't seal the hole peace just the area of the letters. You could paint it on the letters and what ever gets on the flat part sand off. Then stain whole peace seal and lacquer.