I'm working on several inlay projects similar to those shown in the attached picture.
To date I have always used a natural clear stain to enhance the grain and a clear finish usually satin polyurethane. In work other than inlay work I some times mix my own stain by adding artist oil colors to the clear stain. To day I have always used earth tones (like raw sienna, burnt umber or Indian red) and very little sanding was done after staining.
I have an inlay job that I would like to stain maple before cutting the inlay. I'd would like to use a less nature pigment like Cobalt blue. The inlay would be glued in the pocket of a contrasting wood color like plain Maple. I would expect as much as 0.010" inch to be sanded from the inlay pieces during finishing. My question is, would the stain penetrate deep enough to retain the color effect after sanding. Is anyone on the forum have experience with this staining technique?
Please advise!
I do plan on experimenting with this but I'm waiting for material delivery.
Interesting question, i don't believe that its easy to stain maple, in most cases you have to seal it first prior to staining. Maple grows in a twist, so you can have face grain and end grain on the same piece of wood face. Even if it did I think .010 sanding would take most of it off.
What inlay method do you use? Is it possible to make the area surrounding the inlay deeper, then sand down to the inlay?
I’m using the Straight Inlay Toolpath tool in VCarve Pro. I attempt to make the inlay perfectly flush without needing much sanding from the base or inlay. I try to favor sanding more from the inlay because there is usually less to sand this way. I am guessing at the 0.010” figure. There is some inherent variability do to several factors including variation in the thickness of materials and the glue process. I find that you actually end up removing a little material from both do to this variation. I am also guessing at the 0.010” figure.
I’m working with deep penetrating oil stains and you would never want to seal it first.
I’m choosing Maple do to its “light “blond” color and very straight tight grain. The material I’m buying is hard Maple that is very clear and void of Knots or curls. I’m not opposed to trying another wood species if it is a light color and take the strain better. Also penetrating oil stains always look darker after the clear finish is applied.
My Cobalt pigment was delivered this morning. I wasted no time and mixed up a small amount of heavily pigmented stain and applied it to a scrap. We will apply a second coat in a little while let it dry and test sand tomorrow. If this doesn’t yield the desired effect I will probably use another contrasting wood for the inlay.
A client has interest in a shade of blue. I have other options like the Purpleheart that is one of the wood species used in my hardwood version of the Sea Turtle Table. You can see this in the picture in my earlier post. Another option would be cutting the inlay from opaque blue colored cast acrylic sheet but I’m not sure this would be a good mix of materials.
Thanks again for your interest and stay-tuned for my test results.
The testing didn't take as long as expected. My current staining technique or the absorption properties of the Maple does not yield desirable results. There may be another wood species. Though is might not be available in the dimensions I'm using. See the attached stained Maple samples. You can see I lightly sanded one side of each sample but the sample before sanding is not suitable either.
I did find a source of opaque blue colored cast acrylic sheet that would be about the same material cost. The third picture is a simulation and approximate color of the acrylic. The subject matter is the reason the client was interested in blue. Gluing the Acrylic into the wood pocket should not be a problem. As I have inlayed Solid Surface (Corian) material into wood by using Lexel.
For now, I will either go with the Acrylic or select another contrasting natural wood.
I'd still be interested in any other deep penetration staining techniques.
I've been a professional furniture finisher for too many decades to admit to and I can't think of any stain off the top of my head that would stand up to that kind of sanding and still retain its deep color.
Water-based stains penetrate deeper than oil based stains (even the ones advertised as "deep penetrating") because the water opens the grain as it soaks in which allows more color into the wood. Oil stains penetrate just so far then stop. Certain species of wood will also force out excess oil stain as it dries and you'll see tiny little 'dots' of concentrated color along the grain lines if you flood the piece with stain in an attempt to darken the color. Water-based dyes will penetrate deeper but I doubt even that would stand up to that much sanding. You could use a softer species like poplar that would take the stain a bit deeper but the problem with mixing a soft poplar with a hard maple is the uneven way it will sand. My first inlay was a cypress base and a walnut inlay - not spectacular results as the surrounding cypress sanded away as the walnut stubbornly held its minute height difference.
If I were faced with this I would go for a mask of some sort. First I'd cut the female piece with the grain 90º to the base for better differentiation then sand smooth and use something like Microscale Liquid Masking Tape, a small brush and a steady hand. You shouldn't have to worry about bleed since the inlay is glued in - the glue would act as a barrier on the edges - then stain normally.
Will it work? In theory, it should. But I'd definitely do a practice run first.
Editing to add: I see this thread is 14 days old, sorry.
Did you find a solution?
Thank you for your detailed reply and sharing your expertise. I have learned some things that I can use for future projects. For this project I’m inlaying 1/8” thick cast Acrylic sheet. The Acrylic is opaque blue and the Shark pictured in my original post. I used Lexel 13013 Clear Adhesive to glue the inlay. I glued the inlay yesterday and left the protective paper on the face of the acrylic to minimize scratching when sanding the wood table. The fit of the inlay is very close to level with the wood surface with the inlay and will be very slightly minus when the paper is removed. We were able to very accurately control the depth of the pocket when using the CNC machine. I made and educated guest at the glue’s contribution to the total thickness. I was able to achieve the desired fit by hand sanding with a rubber block. I applied the Minwax natural clear stain this morning and still have the protective paper on the Acrylic. Polyurethane will be next.
I have a dilemma, whether or not to remove the paper. I know that mineral spirit type paint thinner does not seem to affect Acrylic but Polyurethane may make the protective paper hard to remove. I think it may be best to remove the paper.
It will be interesting to see the final finished table I know I’m wondering into uncharted territory here. We will post a picture here later to see what the forum community thinks.
I know I’m wondering into uncharted territory here.
I wander in that area a lot myself but sometimes those little walks into the unknown produce some spectacular results.
Sometimes they produce disasters too but we don't get photos of those.
I finished the Acrylic inlay using opaque blue acrylic as the inlay. It may not appeal to the purest. For me it turned out better than expected. For comparison I'm posting a second table top with a one piece Bear inlay cut from Red Cedar. Note the finish is still wet and has not been rubbed out yet.
