Howdy!
Has anyone ever done (or had done for them) calligraphy or writing on wood? I’m finishing a chest of drawers and I wanted to have a poem placed on the bottom of one of the drawers.
If anyone has done it, when is the best time to do the writing (I’m finishing the piece with shellac)? Before sanding / after sanding but before finishing / after finishing?
Anyone have any insight?
Replies
If you want the ink to stay where you put it, do the calligraphy after the first coat of sealer is dry and sanded smooth. India ink can be dissolved with ammonia but I'm not sure about alcohol. Do a test board and see what works. If you use paint, the wood needs to be sealed, too. Just a matter of what kind of paint and how you're finishing the piece.
I have used a permanent marker (Sharpie) over polyurethane, but the above advice to test on a piece of scrap is good advice.
Talk to someone who does "Tole Painting" (I think that's spelled right - lol)
Personally, I've never had much luck writing on wood. Permanent markers always "bleed" on raw wood and seem to rub off after I've done the finish. Besides, my handwriting ain't real pretty, ayway. - lol
Instead of writing "on" the wood, how about burning the script "into" the wood? You can get a wood burner, with various tips, at a craft store. Give it a try on some scrap first. Do it before applying any finish. I have used this method for inscriptions on the bottom of rockers. Not my wish, the client's.
-Bob
Boston -
Depending on your budget .....
Type up the poem in a word processing application. Set the type size to the size you want it to be as it will appear on the drawer bottom. Save the text file as a graphic image, jpeg or TIFF or whatever - then visit a local trophy shop. Many of them have laser engraving machines that will accept various computer file formats to drive the laser machines. They might even accept a regular text document in .DOC format or .... Ask about.
I did an inscription on the bottom of a cheese tray thingie and it turned out great.
If this is in the budget (ain't cheap around here), I'd take the raw wood drawer bottom in after it's been well sanded so there isn't much sanding left to do but before any finish is applied. The image is actually burned into the wood (and they can actually do photographic images as well) so a very *light* sanding shouldn't take away from it too much but don't get carried away. Then finish over the laser etched image for the final product.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
I have only done it once. A rocking horse for my grandbaby. After the first coat of sealer I just used some gold acrylic paint and a fine brush.. Let it dry overnight.. Continued on with my water based Poly. Worked for me..
BUT, I would test yours first with the same wood and finishes you are using,
I've had ink run after shellac was applied to it. I used to write on story sticks and then shellac them, but I ended up with sneared writing.
A lot of ink will dissolve in alcohol. Just use a different finish over it.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
What about using a rotary engraving tool, adding the ink over that, then sealing the engraving?Mitch
"I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."
The ink will still go between the fibers of the wood. Also, you would need to hit the mark with the engraver. If you seal the surface with something that won't be affected by the ink, it'll be more like writing on paper. Nice, crisp printing which can be sealed with something that won't affect the ink. Spray Krylon, matte finish works great for things like this. If you're trying to keep it more like something from the past, obviously spray Krylon isn't in that spirit. I don't know if varnish will affect the ink but you could try it. Other than knowing that you want to have information printed on the piece, what do you want to do with it? Do you want to make something consistant with the way an antique was made, or are you willing to do it with modern techniques? You could always paint the information with a small sign brush. That has a square end and can be used a lot like a calligraphy quill. You can also cut the brush off so the hairs are shorter and stiffer. If you find a font that you like, you can copy it with tracing paper and transfer that to the surface you want to paint. Then, just stay inside the lines.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
there is the old standby - pencil -
write on the raw wood - shellac over it -
softer pencil = darker writing
don't be afraid to press down
I can't find the link now, but I saw a procedure in which a fellow would print the image (words, whatever) he wanted on the wood onto a piece of paper in his laser printer - reversed. Then, he'd place it face-down on the wood, and soak the paper in (here's the part that stopped me) some citrus-based cleaning gunk that was said to be 'used to clean the space shuttle.' The image transferred to the wood. No more info on the citrus gunk was given, and I haven't experimented.
But, the 'ink' from a laser-printed image at least would have the benefit of not seeping along the wood fibers, since it's a powder.
The results were amazing - anyone else seen or know of this?
Clay
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