Hi, Looking for some help on choosing a "paint" for a process to enhance the contrast of an engraving I am going to make on a slab of wood (say
12 inches by 18 inches). It is going to be a copy of a wedding invitation. Here is what I plan to do:-surface the wood (my CNC is not flat enough (>0.01 inches) over this distance to skip this step), probably use a rustic slab of redwood or redwood burl
-coat the wood with some type of "paint"
-engrave the wood (typically 0.06 inches maximum depth for 0.5 inch tall letters, V groove cutter with variable depths)
-stain or dye the engraved lettering so that it is darker than the surface
-remove the "paint"
-sand the surface
I am looking for a "paint" that will seal the surface, barely penetrate the wood and be easy to remove, preferably by sanding. I don't want to use a planer after engraving, it will damage the edges of the letters and additionally, the wood will not be flat after the surfacing step. I am guessing that a latex paint may work, it won't penetrate the wood too much and should be easy to remove although it will clog up sandpaper (no big deal). Maybe some kind of wax? Another idea is some kind of tape that will stay in place and not shift when I engrave through it? Another option is to not use stain and just rely on the contrast of the letters. I have done this so far with my half a dozen engraving attempts, but I think I want a little more contrast for this piece since it is all text and no illustrations. Another idea I have not tried yet is to make a lamination of a dark bottom layer and a light veneer (say 0.03 inches, close to my practical limit for large pieces) and then engrave through the light veneer. My first CNC is not flat enough to pull this off with a piece this large (I am planning for my second CNC to be much better). Thanks, Jaime