interesting lacquer test

Frank Fusco

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Glad I had presence of mind to test this before forging ahead.
I'm making a couple items that I plan to sign. I don't normally sign my stuff so this has never been an issue before.
The piece of wood shown is Koa scrap. On the right, I sprayed with Deft lacquer last night and allowed to dry. The left was kept bare wood. A couple hours later, I wrote 'test' on the two sides then oversprayed with more lacquer. In less than an hour the 'sandwiched' writing sorta melted and blurred. The one written on bare wood is still sharp and legible.
I used an ordinary Sharpie to do the writing.
 

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I think this happend becouse lacquer is designed to melt in it self. The marker being the meat of the sandwich was allowed to flow out. This why it is always a good idea as you showed here to run test before the work begins.:thumb:
 
Al's right about the "melting", and Frank's test illustrates it very well. I've seen the same thing happen with shellac, too. :thumb:
 
Yes Frank, Very interesting. I used to have similar problems with painted pinstriping on cars and motor cycles. Some were painted with lacquer, and some with base-coat urethane, with urethane clear coats. When we tried a light sanding of the color coat prior to striping, an overnight dry and then a mist clearcoat, allowed to set up and then final coats, there didn't seem to be any more problems.

I had done one silver Corvette, striped with dark red and the red actually did what your ink did, melted all over. Thw painter washed most of it off and then tried the sanding, which was needed to get all the stain off, and thatt was how we discovered the solution. ;)

You might also give the ink more dry time. When some ball writer pen ink is used on a smooth hard surface, it lays there wet for a long time. On a more soft surface, like that bare wood, the ink can soak in some and dry faster.

Hope this helps. Try it. :thumb:

Aloha, Tony

P.S. Maybe it was the "Menehunes" getting back at you for taking their wood? :rofl:
 
Lacquer paint

Frank,

I ran an auto body for a number of years. Lacquer paint dries by means of solvent evaporation and does not cure in the sense that a catelyzed finish such as a urethane would cure. Theoretically, you can go back to a lacquer finish years later, clean it thoroughly, and recoat it with lacquer and get good adhesion as the solvent in the new finish would resoften and melt into the old finish. While additional drying time for the ink might help it probably won't as the ink does not cure either.

Your better off using a urethane finish. A permanent marker might work w/lacquer but I would test it first.

Jack
 
Frank,

Like Tony said - I also wonder if the ink was really dry before you did the final coat.

The bare wood, would certainly have allowed the Sharpie pen to dry, but I am just not sure about the Sharpie drying thoroughly on the right side.

Try a sharpie again - on top of that base coat - wait a few inutes after writing - that wipe the pen marks with your finger. Does it smudge?
 
I believe the Sharpie ink had plenty of time to dry.
Whatever, have decided when time comes to actually write on these items, I'm going to use a white paint pencil, allow to dry well, at least overnight, then spray with lacquer. Of course, will test that process first also.
 
Hey Frank,

Ever tried burning your signature into the wood? Maybe try it with a small pencil soldering tool. I have thought of that method which is used by lots of turners, but haven't done one yet. This would certainly solve your problem.

Aloha, Tony
 
Hey Frank,

Ever tried burning your signature into the wood? Maybe try it with a small pencil soldering tool. I have thought of that method which is used by lots of turners, but haven't done one yet. This would certainly solve your problem.

Aloha, Tony

The low priced burning tools just don't work, I have tried. I've never been able to justify the price of a good wood burning set like carvers use.
 
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