Shop Time w/T.W. Friends. Torque wrench on spark plugs, we need answers so cast your vote now

Wow, what a gift!

Just for clarity, are you saying you’re going to carve the signatures out? It’s going to be wild either way. Positive thoughts for good weather!

 

Good morning guys

 

No, they will sign with an ultra fine sharpie and I will bring it back and polyurethane, sand, polyurethane, sand, etc over the sharpie signatures and the carved woodwork.

 

Make sure you have a few sharpies, writing on wood kills them pretty fast.

 

I bought a whole box! I use sharpies on wood all the time and yes, they don't last.

 

Sanding won't erase the signatures?

Very nice btw!!

 

It is finish sanded right now, ready for their signatures, and then polyurethane. The only thing I will do to it before the first coat is to clean the wood gently with alcohol to get all the oils off that the dirty dirty hands that signed the board will leave. Once I put the first coat on, THEN I will sand that top coat that is above the signatures. I sand that to level it, not remove it back down to the signatures. I use either 400 or 600 grit and I wet sand by hand. Then I put another coat on and do it again. I will do it a 3rd time if needed. Using the torch to pop bubbles helps immensely, especially in this hot weather when the polyurethane can flash (top layer skims over) in just a few minutes. And, even worse, If I unknowingly start to put it on and it rains? The polyurethane will "blush" and that looks like a clouds in the finish. I can fix all that by taking it in the house, where temperature and humidity are controlled and dust is minimal, but my wife would hate me for the smell and probably make her pass out from the fumes. There is a reason you use it in a well ventilated area!

 

alcohol and Sharpie don't mix well in my experience, using alcohol to remove Sharpie

 

Have you verified that the solvents in the urethane finish won't dissolve the signatures and make them bleed?

 

Build or buy a Mahl stick to keep the grubby hands off the project if you are so concerned about hand grease.

Edit: Like a 3/8 oak dowel, a circle of leather, a few cotton balls, and some twine.

-J

 

Not concerned at all. It is inevitable, and any oil will cause a fish eye, so I always clean the wood.

 

Yes. on the back of the piece so I had same wood type, marker and urethane.

 

If you are on plastic or paint, sure. On wood, the sharpie stains into the wood and alcohol only hits the surface.
Edit: I have been doing this type of work for quite a few years now. I have worked with wood hardness from Balsa to Ash and stubborn woods like Locust and Gum. I have stained with store bought and made my own. I use top coat finishes from Tung to Linseed to both water and petroleum based polyurethane. Sometimes I use simple vegetable oil or mineral oil or even 3 in 1 !
I also have screwed up. Many times.
This one had a high degree of failure simply because there was no place to hide if you mess up. Everyone can look at a board and tell if it is smooth or wavy, and everyone knows what letters are supposed to look like so, if I made one too short, too fat, uneven line width, botched shape, on any single line, I would have had to start over.
I prefer to use a urethane when the project is going to people who won't know how to take care of wood. Tung oil when it goes to people who know wood needs some oils periodically to keep from drying out. Other oils are usually for my own projects I keep lol.

 

Just thinking this through… test your sealant against the sharpie on spare wood. Would hate for you to start and the sharpie bleeding everywhere….into an unreadable mess!

 

Another question...will the signatures be structured or random (like on a cast)?

 

Did it on the back before starting.
Guys, I have used poly on sharpie many times before. Do you know how many mess ups I have fixed with a sharpie before top coat? Probably dozens at this point. This is wood, porous wood. Not plastic or metal.

 

Random

 

Perfect

 

Left brain wins in these cases. Right brain is over there wringing his hands and pacing, wishing I had marked off orderly boxes for everyone.
Left brain though it up, right brain crafted a plan and steps and left brain just went crazy. Left brain can see it through.

 

I like the random idea