I want to put some stripes onto a panel with stain. Is this something I can realistically do, and maintain a clear, crisp edge between the dark and light stripes? Perhaps score some lines with a knife to keep the stain from "running" down the grain?
The important thing (to me) is the whole striping effect. The greater the contrast between light and dark wood, the better. I don't want to just paint it. That would be boring. I will put a clear finish over the panel (probably laquer) if that makes any difference.
why couldn't you spray on tinted top coats, like laquer. Mask off the sections and spray the sections with different batches of tinted laq. Finish it off with clear to get the surface even.
I think your results will depend on what kind of wood you're using and how well you can control the capillary action which draws the stain into and between the wood fibers.
One strategy might be to apply some sort of sealant to the wood and then perhaps sanding lightly so that the stain can't penetrate very deeply into the wood.
Another possibility is to use a stain that's thick enough that it won't be drawn up into the fibers. Clearly, very thin water based, alcohol based, and oil based stains won't work very well. You want something thick, such as a gel based stain.
You should also consider how you're going to form the stripes. You could mask the light areas with masking tape and then apply the stain, but that leaves open the possibility that stain might get under the edge of the tape and ruin your sharp edge. Instead, I'd use tape to mask off the dark areas of the piece, and then spray on a couple light coats of lacquer or whatever clear finish you settle on. Then, after you carefully remove the tape, you can wipe on the stain. After you wipe off the excess stain and let the panel dry, you can spray the whole thing with a few more coats of lacquer.
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