If this needs to moved no worries just did not see forum for intarsia. So I got request from Paws4people to make labs now. Some white, brown and black. I am not sure how to make the black ones. ( thinking maybe gel stain) any suggestions welcomed. Any way I made this one from a stain glass pattern with minimum tweaks. My service dog HUDSON is a white lab with cream highlights so thought it worked out pretty well. These plaques go to donors and people who do good things for organization or those who have won a charity drive event like golfing tournaments.

Maybe a dye instead of stain.  

Wonderful piece, Lissa and for a worthy cause!

instead

22 hours ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

Maybe a dye instead of stain.  

They make dye for wood????? Will check into it!!!

Edited April 10, 20206 yr by Lissa Hall

That is a great piece Lissa.  Will you be mounting it so it can be framed?

Most all of us have used stains and/or dyes - but speaking for myself - short of just mixing up some custom colors by mix & match I would have no idea how to get something like a cream color.

So, I am going to ask the resident masters to maybe jump in here.  @kmealy and @Smallpatch , what do you say fellas - can you help the lady out?

Lissa,  let me ask you first, are these pieces still all loose? Also what kind of equipment do you have to grind and smooth the edges?

My wife is the stained glass person in our family and I also use lots of stained glass patterns... 

Also do you have access to an air compressor and maybe an air brush?

Great job for a good cause, Lissa.

If ya want black, India ink does a good job. follow it with spray poly. For yellow, I'd just use oil based poly over the light woods. 

Edited April 10, 20206 yr by Gene Howe

India ink, like Gene says works to "ebonize" wood.   For other colors, Transtint dyes, mixed with a carrier like water have a variety of colors.   You can mix them before or during application.  Available directly from Jeff Jewitt or Rockler, Woodcraft, etc.

https://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/transtint-liquid-dyes/

All pieces are glued together and on wood backing. I have air compressor but no air brush. As far as Sanders go have bunch different types. Belt, dremmel, drill press with sanding adapters, and four different hand Sanders. I also use women's nail files frequently to get into small tight places. They work out great and even sometime glue sand paper onto small dowels and popsicle sticks. I can get pretty inventive lol

Edited April 10, 20206 yr by Lissa Hall
Add on

I always try to use natural wood colors for most part. Typically holly for white walnut for brown etc. Its is the black lab that is giving me pause...to much black together I think would cause it to blend together a lot and may lose detail effects... saw an intarsia  for one and pretty much what happened. So thinking maybe I could create a layer like effect with different heights to make up for it.

If you want bright colors look at Chestnut stains . These are alcohol based dyes but come in 8oz bottle in 9 colors.

 

I have not used these but gourd dyes work also Memories ink

 

This is another I have not tried but looks promising Keda Dye

 

One more I have used and very vibrant colors Chroma-Craft

Lissa I was just trying to get an idea as to the things I should suggest and since I also do a form of intarsia some of my things I posted might help...  I have a bunch of pieces I made and if you will look at my attachments under smallpatch like on page 5 I did a stained glass pattern of 2 merry go round horses. Plus the 2 roosters and the old indian on a horse and a few others were colored with acrylic paint...Michaels or Hobby Lobby has little bottles of all kinds of acrylic paint I think at a reasonable price...I hardly ever use any of this stuff straight for the air brush can do a great job that nothing else will do and it don't cost as much as what the guys have suggested...Nothing wrong with the way they might do things but I think you can get the desired results with a lot less color or stain or what ever one wants to call it...Lots of what I do I actually sand off most of the color to get a more natural look to my pictures or things I build.

 If you would, next time before you glue the pieces on to the backer board first do all the coloring of the wood pieces and it will be easier. This way if something don't look just right you can change things much easier...

  My opinion only but the suggestions so far have been for more or less bold colors and stains where I like the lighter types most of the time for they seem to match every day life...

  I always have a million suggestions if you are interested I like to help. I've even got lots of stained glass patterns I have already enlarged like the 2 clowns I did from wife's patterns.

  I you have a band saw it could save lots of hours off of a finished product, like when doing the 2 carousel horses all the pieces that are set way back was cut down with a band saw. And this is what makes a picture look great is the height variation. And the top side of the pieces have to be cut away for all the pieces will still match up to each other laying there side by side.

  Also all the pictures that have been built inside of a frame.....well the frame was the size of the slab of wood I started with. I will explain if interested.

   Can you prepare wood to be edge glued to make wider pieces for larger things to build?

 Let me know if interested.

1 hour ago, Smallpatch said:

If you would, next time before you glue the pieces on to the backer board first do all the coloring of the wood pieces and it will be easier. This way if something don't look just right you can change things much easier...

What a great suggestion, among many, thanks for this Jess.

Small patch were you referencing  the one title two horses? Very nice btw! Those were done by acrylic paint???

 

Yes and the 2 pictures of the roosters was all those little bottles of acrylic paints. as was the indian picture, the end of the trail. I was going to mention Hobby Lobby has air brushes and they also have this coupon that gives a person 40% off of any one item. At least before the virus messed up the stores!!

 Do you have a band saw?

 Was there any of my pictures of all the pieces laid out ready to spray them with clear. You will find its best to not glue them down until you are completely through with the finishing of each piece....this was a rooster getting the air brush treatment.

 I just now noticed the air brush in this picture... It came from Hobby Lobby, I think.

Whups,, I must add,  some of the colors could have been printers ink but all was air brushed.

Jesse, of what advantage is an air brush? I've often considered one but, didn't think I'd use it enough. 

 

Gene I'm afraid if you have to ask that question then you don't need an air brush. For me, it's hard to get things shaded like I want to vision them if I use a rag or a brush or how ever any one puts on the colors...

  I also feel lots of guys tried in the past to stain or color wood and goofed it up so now they just buy different colors of wood and use it that way so they don't have to use stain or dye any more??? I don't like to pay those expensive prices just because certain wood is a different color...

   I enjoy changing the wood to different colors much more than throwing away money I don't have for expensive species of wood. It would be near impossible for me to make these two projects without an air brush!

 

 

My first job  was working in a furniture store and they didn't have anything to sell that was unfinished. Sure some places did sell unfinished stuff so that is how I feel today if someone builds something like that... my opinion only is they are afraid to try.

  I feel a person uses far less of a product if they are using an air brush so maybe that offsets the price.