Completely new - how to paint signs?

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deal815
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2013 4:39 pm

Completely new - how to paint signs?

sample 1
sample 1

Hi! I have a couple images of signs other people have created. With my shark I am trying to figure out how to paint/stain the grooved text of the finished product. What are the techniques, pens, brushes used for this?

thank you for your help in advance!

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sample 2
sample 2
Kevink18
Posts: 205
Joined: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:30 pm

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by Kevink18 »

I have used contact paper then cut then stain before removing paper. If i paint letters i sand the top after paint dries. You can also u can mask it off with painters tape before cutting just go lightly with the stain it has tendency to run under the masking

milo30
Posts: 553
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:21 pm

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by milo30 »

I have only tried the mask once and it didn't hold for me. I need to try another brand.

Here are the 2 ways that I do it.
1. Stain the board then add a few coats of de-waxed shellac, then vcarve, then add stain to all of the carved areas and wipe off the flat immediately. I only do that if I really want two colors. I like gel stain for that so that it sticks in the carved area and wipes off better for me.

2. (what I primarily do) I use only one stain color in a gel form. I coat the board well then after giving it penetration time, I wipe the flat area, leaving it in the vcarved letters. It will darken more and give that contrast that I am looking for.

For simple carvings that aren't too shallow, or if I want the letters painted, I will just do the carving first and wipe what will wipe off with a rag on the flat area. After drying, I just sand the board with a really fine grit and then stain. It works fine unless parts of the carving are too fine and shallow. Then you have to be really careful of sanding away the detail. You alos have to consider the wood type. Oak for instance will get dark stripes from the gel which are hard to remove but sometimes I want those details in and use this process to achieve them.

There is also a gel type mask that I have heard others use. Coat the wood, carve, paint, then peel away.

KarenW
Posts: 353
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:42 pm

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by KarenW »

In our shop it depends on the look we're after.
For text signs we sand to finish grit, couple coats of lacquer, contact paper mask, carve then paint. Sometimes it's an acrylic brush-on paint if we're looking for different colors. For black text we use Marsh's Stencil Ink in a spray can because it dries super quick. In a pinch we use regular spray paint but not on a regular basis.
For our portraits we finish the piece fully (sanding to 320 with 3 good coats of shot lacquer (not spray can) and hand stain it with a water based stain. The full finish eliminates any bleed.

Karen

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Bacwudz Kustumz
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Joined: Thu May 30, 2013 6:58 am
Location: Virginia Beach
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Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by Bacwudz Kustumz »

What kind of contact paper and where can I get some? I've tried using painters tape but that didn't turn out to well. I usually try to carve then spray on sanding sealer, paint, then sand off the flat area's.... I notice I get alot of sanding scars doing this tho and sometimes sand thru the smaller detail cuts.

KarenW
Posts: 353
Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:42 pm

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by KarenW »

Con-Tact is one brand and you can get it virtually anywhere - Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Target. It's nothing more than an adhesive shelf liner. We've used the clear and the white but the clear sometimes leaves a residue. I think it's a reaction between the adhesive and the lacquer.
Painter's tape won't hold up to being carved or at least it's not been successful for us. It also has a tendency to bleed under the edges of the tape.
The one thing you really can't skip is the pre-carve prep. Some may totally disagree with what I'm about to say and that's ok ;) but I don't cut anything that's going to get a paint or stain treatment without a full finish on it first. Meaning: if it's text or graphic that will be somehow colored while the rest of the wood is natural, I pre-finish first. You can't rely on sanding off for a lot of reasons. You mentioned one - losing the small details. Another is how deep will the stain or paint penetrate? Water based stains can really soak into soft woods. If you're cutting oak or ash with its open grain that grain can fill up with color and it extremely difficult to remove. Not so much of a problem if you're doing an over-all stain of the piece but if you want a natural background then yeah, you've got a problem.
Pre-finishing means you have to plan ahead but we've gotten to the point of standardizing a lot of our cuts. For instance, portraits are 9x11,11x14 or 16x20 so we keep a certain amount of each already cut to size and pre-finished so we're not sitting around the shop waiting on that last coat of lacquer to dry before we start a file. Or, like with our current job that will have 18 or 20 different pieces to it, we cut to size and pre-finish all the pieces then carve them in stages.

The picture shows the different stages I'm talking about.
Wade is sanding a cedar plank using 220 grit. It was then shot with 2 coats of lacquer and masked with the contact paper.
The white one is a plank that has just come off the Shark, carved through the contact paper.
The one on top of that has been painted and the paper peeled off.
The one to the far left is finished.
Next photo is finished results.
Not a speck of bleed in soft red cedar.

Hope some of this helps.
Just bear in mind this is how we do it, not how it *should* be done. Others have successfully done it differently.
You'll probably have to experiment to find the method that works best for you.

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Karen

signshoppe540
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Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 3:43 pm

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by signshoppe540 »

Really useful, Karen. Let me say I can confirm that paper tapes such as as I use for applying vinyl do not work for this in my experience. Even the sharpest router bit will tear them out especially in the fine cuts. It was tempting to just throw down a layer of premask and let'er rip. Sadly, not so. I'll be doing some this weekend with the Contact.

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Iceman567
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Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2012 6:10 pm
Location: Gulf Coast of Florida

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by Iceman567 »

This method works for me. Signs with a clear finish, I v-carve first then hand paint the letters with acrylic paint or enamel if exterior.
The 'Up North' and bike sign were done this way. Then finished with applicable sealer.
For a painted sign with painted letters, I've had real good luck with http://www.gspinc.com/mask/ paint mask. Low tack and almost no tear out.
Paint sign first, apply paint mask, v-carve, paint/seal lettering, remove mask. The Halloween signs were done this way.
Good luck and have fun.

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up north.jpg
bike.jpg
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Everything you want is on the other side of fear.

plascell9
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:58 am

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by plascell9 »

KarenW, I tried the contact paper idea and it does make painting easier. But did have a problem in that the contact paper I used was from Lowes (Peel & Stick Laminate by Shurtech Brands / www.duckbrand.com) and said it was a permanent adhesive. And that is the problem. It will peal off a day later, but leaves adhesive on the wood. I haven't tried Goof-Off to remove it yet. I had stained the wood and two coats of lacquer before using the contact paper.

I wonder if there are different kinds of "contact paper" and some release without leaving some of the adhesive behind?

Pete

tonydude
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Location: Buffalo,NY

Re: Completely new - how to paint signs?

Post by tonydude »

I use stencil mask from signwarehouse http://www.signwarehouse.com/c-VSSTENC.html never had problem with it. I put it on the wood spray the color on peel off.

Tony

Buffalo,NY

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