Writing on Wood

[dingledow]

Hi

I have some 6 mm plywood, and I need to write a name onto it. I thought about a stencil, or something like that. Does anyone have an idea of how to write effectively on wood?

David

[Shipbuilder]

It is a very difficult thing to do. In the past, I have used Letraset rub-on letters for printing, but these now seem to be becoming obsolete & were quite expensive anyway. A material called Omnicron Safmat has become available (art & drawing supplies). It is a very thin matt self-adhesive film. You can print on it using the computer or write on it in ink. When dry, it is cut out & stuck onto the surface of the wood. When pressed down, it is almost (but not quite) invisible, but it is the only neat way I have found so far!
Bob

[woodtattoos]

Burn it on!!! hehe :D

Si (mad pyrographer).

[kipper workshops]

You could always use stencils. There are lots of pens that can be used on wood and work quite well. The main problem is bleeding as the ink soaks into the wood. But if you are painting the wood first it isn't usually a problem. There are loads of places that sell stencils on the internet, just do a search.

Another option is to use decoupage. You basically get the letters or image that you want and stick it to the wood. If you are heavily varnishing your piece (6-7 coats) this cretes a thick layer over the paper letters/image and they sit under the varnish. It works really well as long as you do a good job on the varnishing.

Again there are loads of decoupage paper suppliers on the internet. You can also just print off you own letters and stick them on the wood, the thinner your paper the better. It works very well.

Hope that gives a few ideas for thought.

Steve :)

[marry.anderson33]

Use the carving knife, here the basic tools use in carving wood;

the carving knife: a specialized knife used to pare, cut, and smooth wood.
the gouge: a tool with a curved cutting edge used in a variety of forms and sizes for carving hollows, rounds and sweeping curves.
the chisel, large and small, whose straight cutting edge is used for lines and cleaning up flat surfaces.
the V-tool used for parting, and in certain classes of flat work for emphasizing lines.
the veiner: a specialized deep gouge with a U shaped cutting edge.

[wendy]

How is your handwriting? I have found that a permanent artist's marker works well. You need to seal the wood first (watered down PVA will do it) if you're not painting it.

Paint the PVA on, sand lightly, and recoat. It dries really quickly, and you can write or paint over it.

If you want to use this method in conjunction with stencils, there's no reason you can't.

Wendy