I've got some special wood (that came from an old tree near our house), and would like to add an inscription on it. With a regular ink pen or a sharpie, the ink will run. Any suggestions for something to add an inscription and still use shellac?
Puckdropper
Oddly, I've done just this last week - would have provided photo's but the item has gone now.
I used a Bic Biro pen (but I suppose any ball-point will do), scrawled what I had to on it, let it dry properly (doesn't take long), then
*dabbed* a layer of shellac over the inked parts, and dabbed further out, letting the shellac fade - feathering? Not putting more shellac on the pad, just letting it run out, if you like.When this had dried out, I applied the shellac as normal. It seemed to work OK for me. No doubt someone with more experience (this is the only time I've done this) will be along soon. Obviously it'll pay you to experiment with an off-cut first!
Cheers & good luck.
Use an engraving tool fill script black or very dark polish , flat back till flush then over polish with your shellac
Use a fountain pen with walnut stain is another technique i have seen used
If your going down the ink path use black indian ink and do a test patch first on a bit of scrap
Look for a paint marker. They come in a variety of colors, widths, and tip shapes, in oil, water color, acrylic, and probably other chemistries.
An office supply place (Staples, etc) will generally have white, and maybe silver or gold.
A craft store (Michaels, Jo-Ann, etc) will generally have more colors and one or two brands.
If you've got a Dick Blick near you they'll have a wide range of options.
Another option would be to use an artists' brush and whatever paint you like.
A third option would be to get some inkjet decal paper and make a decal.
Whatever you go with, test on a scrap before you commit your good wood.
Would spray shellac or lacquer do the trick ?
I would th> David Paste wrote:
PD:
I've done calligraphy on paper and engraved in rock. My count of trials with wood is one. It worked fine but I didn't use ink out of durability concerns in the location.
You haven't said what kind of letter forms will be involved in your inscription. That would specify qualifications. If you have a wood surface that won't have bleeding considerations from the grain and want block letter forms, look at the metal nib pens with permanent ink. Just don't make the mistake of pressing harder than you have to. Covering text rendered with them and said ink should be easy.
Otherwise, if sun exposure isn't a threat and your wood is softer, try the fiber (marker) calligraphy pens. Once dried, shellac sealing ought to work, though since ink compositions vary by manufacturer, trial is sensible.
The paint pens I've tried didn't boast crisp line definition. Maybe better models deny that. If you find them, an announcement would be welcome.
A professional effort wouldn't be exorbitant. Call your local art-supply store or art support group/association and eventually you'll have names.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
Duh... winning!
Yeah, paint marker pens. They used to be very popular for junk yard car parts. Once they dry they are bullet proof. I have always used the silver as it shows up well on everything. Yes, they have them at Michael's Craft stores. Technique: Buy, kind of pump the tip to get paint flowing. Use like a pen. Put cap on pen. Wait 6 months to use again. realize the pen has dried out. Buy a new one and repeat.
Yeah, paint marker pens. They used to be very popular for junk yard car parts. Once they dry they are bullet proof. I have always used the silver as it shows up well on everything. Yes, they have them at Michael's Craft stores. Technique: Buy, kind of pump the tip to get paint flowing. Use like a pen. Put cap on pen. Wait 6 months to use again. realize the pen has dried out. Buy a new one and repeat.
SP:
On tips that pull out of the body, I thoroughly purify them with paint thinner after use, put a piece of thin and strong plastic sheet into the hole ,put the tip back and put another piece of the sheet under the cap, storing the pen up in a sealed plastic bag. The procedure can be modified for a fixed tip. But I agree, they can be as cussed as you say.
The fancy rim joints can now fill tires with Nitrogen. A small tire can hold a lot of the stuff that can be tapped for filling bags, paint can spaces and other things that survive much longer without oxygen doing its work.
From one vantage point, an important concern for the inscription sealant would be UV protection. Sign painters and pin stripers use what works. I'd follow their lead unless working with what is handy is fine.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
Write *on* the shellac. 1. couple of shellac coats 2. sand with fine paper where you want to write (for tooth) 3. write 4. couple more coats of shellac (if you want)
Note: don't use ink that alcohol will dissolve.
DO:
Smarter.
Regards,
Edward Hennessey
It's easy to burn it in and there are cheap wood burning kits from HF among other places, some just a few dollars. If you have a soldering iron you can use that. Do a little practicing on scrap first.
David Paste wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@hd10g2000vbb.googlegroups.com:
I'll have to try that. One sample last night didn't appear to run, just lost a little color. Thanks!
Puckdropper
"J. Clarke" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@hamster.jcbsbsdomain.local:
*snip*If the paint marker is fine enough, it'll probably work well. I don't have a lot of room to write (about half a business card lenghtwise), so need something that'll give me a crisp line.
What about gel pens?
Puckdropper
One thing I didn't see mentioned was the "archival" pens. I've used them but only on top of a finish, not under it.
A few things you might consider trying:
. Burn in the inscription with a fine tipped soldering iron instead of using ink or paint. . Try using a UniBall 207 pen. The ink, once dry, does not bleed in water or various organic solvents. Try it out on paper first just to be sure. Full drying takes a few seconds. . Use a dark pencil. I typically use this technique and I put a coat of shellac on top. The pencil line will not fade and it does not dissolve in shellac.
Good Luck.
David Paste wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@hd10g2000vbb.googlegroups.com:
The padding method didn't smudge the ink too badly, but it's still not what I was looking for. Maybe with several tries, I could get something acceptable (I just used a regular ball-point.)
Maybe a light spray of shellac would work better.
Puckdropper
Puckdropper wrote in news:4db9e987$0$15332$c3e8da3$ snipped-for-privacy@news.astraweb.com:
The gel pen didn't work. Maybe it needed much longer to dry (they're usually smudge free within minutes), but the alcohol took it right off.
I'll keep going down the list. I'll look at paint markers when the stores open in the morning.
Puckdropper
lektric dan wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@l36g2000vbp.googlegroups.com:
I've heard about a very similar method using regular paper and a laser printer to make printed circuit board traces. The pattern is printed backwards and then ironed on before etching. (They might have even used glossy photo paper.)
That gives me an idea. Rather than write on the wood, write on a business card and use the shellac to adhere the card to the work. Sanding/routing a little recess for the card wouldn't take long, and should be completly legible.
Quickly Robin, to the bat cave!
Puckdropper
2 more thoughts: have a branding iron made (depending on how many of these you're doing), or borrow a pyrographic pen set from a buddy.
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