ahhh....application tape for color fill

[Jonathan Overlin]

Just wanted to let anyone who read my previous post regarding my frustration with color fill that I have got the process licked!

Here are the revised steps-

1. paint or stain wood
2. apply clear coat
3. cover with application tape (12" application tape was $40 for 300 ft)
4. VIGOROUSLY rub/burnish
5. laser
6. check to make sure none of the tape has curled up
7. 5 minute clear sealer over cut areas
8. spray paint

95% success rate (times that I forgot the clear sealer had some bleed into adjacent wood grain.



/the application tape was obtained from a local signs xpress shop, used for applying vinyl letters to things/

[Douglas J Miller]

Okay, I have to ask. What clear sealer are you using? That's the step where I seem to go wrong. Everything available locally, and I seem to have tried them all, had one problem or another. They either do not seal well enough and I get bleed, or too well and the paint fill comes back out.

[Jonathan Overlin]

hmm, not sure what the brand is....some acrylic spray sealer. I will look the next time I am at the shop and let you know

[Mark Conde]

As a new guy to the scene, I am also having much frustration with color infill. I am in the process of using liquimask and the darn stuff will not dry. It has been "drying" for over 90 min. I plan to use your tips to prevent bleeding in the future. But knowing the sealer you used would be very helpful. I am kinda surprised you do not remember the sealer name since you seem to be so excited to have gotten the process down. Anyway, if anyone has ever used Liquimask, I would appreciate some insight. Cause I am obviously doing something not right.

[Dale Brown]

My experience with LiquiMask is that it is very slow to dry and inconsistent. I have extremely good results with TWO coats of ordinary rubber cement. It dries fast, protects well and is easy to remove.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I am kinda surprised you do not remember the sealer name since you seem to be so excited to have gotten the process down.

I'm not. There are plenty of items I use or eat on a daily basis that if you asked me what the brand name was, I wouldn't know. I could tell you what the container looked like, but the only way I would be able to tell you the brand is if I went and looked at the container.

[Mike Null]

The subject of color fill has been discussed since we began this forum. There are many threads on the topic and many ideas so a search will provide a weekend's reading.

Do not underestimate simple liquid floor wax as a sealer for the engraved area.

[Richard Rumancik]

Mike, do you mean an acrylic finish? I realize that floor finishes used to be wax but I'm thinking you might be referring to something like Future Acrylic floor finish.

[Tristan Ranatza]

My experience with LiquiMask is that it is very slow to dry and inconsistent. I have extremely good results with TWO coats of ordinary rubber cement. It dries fast, protects well and is easy to remove.

Does the rubber cement leave any kind of film behind when you laser it? Does it smell when you laser it? I might have to try this in another application... as a short term resist.

[Dale Brown]

"Does the rubber cement leave any kind of film behind when you laser it? Does it smell when you laser it? I might have to try this in another application... as a short term resist."

There is no residual film and no smell. The un-lasered portion balls up and rolls off when you rub it. There is very little bleed from the fill, as the rubber cement fills the small cracks very well. I use rubber cement often with excellent results.

[Mike Null]

Richard

I have an old blue bottle of Mop n Glo that seems to work as well as anything I've tried. It does say that it's a polymer, so it is not like the old waxes. I've tried many things including about every kind of clear spray you can imagine. I am inclined to brush a sealer into the engraved area rather than spray.

There times when I use paste floor wax but that is not what I was referring to.

After many, many attempts nothing has been a complete success to the extent that I don't attempt color filling light colored woods any longer.

[Cherie Irwin]

Hey, thanks for the sharing your results. After reading hundreds of posts on color fill, I still couldn't quite get it right. I have bought so many kinds of wax. I have half of a shelf dedicated to my purchases that haven't worked as I had hoped. I have finished my pieces with 8+ coats of laquer and fine sanded, per Dee's recommendation, and the fill just tinted my finished areas if I didn't use a mask. Now, I'm looking for the right solution for sealing the edge of the grain. If you can share the name of your spray sealer, I'd love to test it's effectiveness next to Mike's recommendation for Mop n Glo or another polymer based floor sealer. I'm dying to find the right solution for my particular application, so I can stop wasting time and money. I know this is a learned art, but I'd like to at least get a semi acceptable result sometime soon.

[Mike Null]

Cherie

If this is your goal you will succeed.

semi acceptable result

[Craig Matheny]

I have never done color fill so I can only go on what I have read or seen. but I have used vinyl transfer tape to use as a protector from smoke and then could you not just use a spray paint like Krylon to do the fill and remove the mask? It sounds good in my head.

[Mark Conde]

I finally achieved descent results on wood. I lacquered (3 coats), then paste wax finish. Then Liquimask from Laserbits. It only took 6 hours for the Liqimask to dry. Then I engraved. Then infilled with black acrylic paint. Then peel off Liquimask and give one last coat of lacquer. Finish with one last coat of paste wax. The process worked well except for waiting on the Liquimask to dry.