Is there a way to turn cherry black?

[Scott Shepherd]

I have a customer who wants their logo burned into a piece of stained cherry. No problem. However, they want it to look like it was branded, so that means the logo and letters need to be black. The piece is already finished (not by me), and I have no way of knowing how they finished it or with what. I have a sample piece I stained myself and burned, but with the PPI all the way maxed out, power up, speed way down, I can't get it to burn it dark. It just removes the wood and leaves the fresh cherry underneath.

I can't mess with the finish at all, since it's one piece of a larger piece of furniture. Any thoughts on how to make the logo look darker without using any additional finishing that could compromise the entire piece?

[Gary Hair]

Scott,
I have had some success with a lower speed and lower power. Failing that I would mask and paint fill.

Gary

[Dave Lyda]

Black shoe polish that comes in the round cans with popoff lid, rubbed into the logo with a tooth brush and then just buff the surface with a rag. We use this method all the time to turn the engraving blacker.

[George Elston]

There was a post here last week or so about changing the 100% black to 80% to get a black in wood, without color fill. I tried it on a piece of birch and it worked pretty well, thought when I get a chance, do a test with other shades of gray. Don't know how it will work with cherry.

[Mike Null]

I use 1000 dpi to get a darker finish.

[Scott Shepherd]

I'm using 1000PPI, it's not darkening it. I guess I'm off to try some shoe polish. Dave, that doesn't do anything to the existing finish? It wipes right off that? Doesn't wick into the edge of the lettering?

[Nancy Laird]

Scott, seal the edges of your lasered area with some liquid floor wax - then use the shoe polish or some sort of black acrylic paint. The medium used shouldn't wick into the grain after it's sealed.

Works on maple, should work on cherry.

[Dave Lyda]

Scott, we've never had a problem. It goes on so lightly and doesn't take much polish or pressure. Just dab alittle on toothbrush and brush it into the grooves and work it around with the brush. Any excess just buffs off. You might want to use a soft toothbrush and nothing to create any scratching of the surface. I've never had it bleed. Also we use brown polish to darken. Haven't tried other colors but they probably would work also. Good luck.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks, I'll give it a try when I go back to the office later.

[James A. Wolfe]

Scott,
I've had good luck with basswood and pine by vectoring the outline of the lettering (or logo) and rastering the field to get some material removed. I then go back and turn off the vectored lines and re-run the rastered parts but I focus 1/8" to 1/4" above the actual level of the substrate. This gives me considerable blackening and, if I don't use air assist, I get some pretty realistic smoked edges as well.

Don't know if this is the effect you're looking for but it comes pretty close to branded wood.


Good luck,

Jim

[Frank Corker]

Steve, just on that point, someone mentioned that instead of using black they used 80% grey on their engraving and the burn marks from the laser were much darker than the black. I forget who posted it but they were definitely amazed that they were getting a better result.

[Bill Cunningham]

If the wood is finished there are a couple of things you can do.. After lasering, if you have some photocopy toner, brush some into the engraving.. It will stick, and it won't fall or rub out, its there forever.. Or, nip into your local automotive store and buy a bottle of Turtle wax colour cure(ok for the u.s. it's probably color cure ) car polish.. Its black, just brush it well in, it soaks into the wood, and the over slop will not stick to the finish and will rub right off when it's dry.. I would not recommend either of these methods on 'oak' unless the grain has been filled with the original finish, or you'll never get it out..