Q: After getting married, I picked up a piece of wood up here in Alaska and had all his family write a message on it. I am planning on adding a photograph with spray adhesive, then clear over it. Will the clear hurt the photograph, what should I use, and how should I apply it?
A: If the photo is simply a digital image printed out on your computer, you have little to worry about, but some types of photo surfaces can create adhesion problems. That, though, is only the first of the issues you might run into. If you use a non-permanent spray adhesive, some finishes can cause it to let go, so that’s another concern. Finally, there is the medium that was used to sign the board. If it is ink or marker, some coatings will cause the marks to run. Pencil is not a problem, but oily markers, such as china marker, can cause adhesion problems. In short, you have not told me enough of the vital information to give you a definitive answer.
Lacking that, I will suggest the following. Use a permanent adhesive for the photo, and make sure it is fully cured before proceeding. Spray the surface of the photo and the board with a thin, light spray of shellac in an aerosol can, or if you prefer to use a spray gun, use Zinsser SealCoat instead of shellac. The reason is that shellac contains wax, but aerosol cans of shellac do not. The light spray will secure the writing and adhere to the photo surface, but spraying light and dry is critical, or you could run any ink or marker writing. Once the board is lightly sealed, you can proceed with whatever finish you choose. For a thin finish, I’d go with waterbased polyurethane. For a thicker one that will fully embed the photo and leave a smooth surface, pick up one of the two part decoupage coating kits that you find at most craft stores.
Q: I am currently attempting to finish hard maple to resemble the dark finish commonly applied on fine cherry furniture similar to the color of an espresso coffee bean. I want to avoid blotching and preserve the wood’s figure. I am well versed in the use of spray equipment, dyes and pigments and will likely use lacquer for the top coats. Could you suggest a finishing schedule to suit my needs?
A: Sand to at least 220, and finer if you can. Dye the wood to the approximate color you want using a water soluble dye, flooding it on liberally, then wiping off whatever is not absorbed. That will bring out the grain. Don’t go all the way to the color, though; leave it just a bit lighter, and don’t worry if the grain is a bit too exaggerated. The next step will mute it and even it out. Of course, if things go completely wrong, most water soluble dyes can be reversed with laundry bleach prior to their being sealed.
Seal the wood, then add the last bit of color by tinting your lacquer with oil soluble dye. By controlling your tinted spray, you can not only even up any areas that were uneven, you can also modify the tint if your first dye was not exactly the color you wanted. Add as many coats of tinted lacquer as you need to hit both the color and uniformity you seek, then switch to clear for the remaining coats. The enhanced grain from the dye paired with the muting but translucent tint in the spray should give you even coloration without losing the grain entirely.
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