Michael Smith
04-15-2011, 05:04 PM
I'm in the process of V-carving some lettering into pre-finished award plaques - usually about 8" x 10" in size. The material is veneered MDF with a clear finish on it.
What I'm trying to do is highlight the lettering once it has been carved by hitting it with some spray paint. Based on some searching on this forum, I tried the following approach suggested by others: I applied a transparent film (clear contact paper - shelf liner) as a mask to the surface of the prefinished blank, then V-carved through it. I then applied the spray paint to accent the letters and removed the mask when the paint dried.
I'm getting almost-acceptable results, but have two problems. First, in areas with small, fragile carving details, the mask-film is tearing out or lifting off the surface, whiich means paint gets on those areas, which I'd like to avoid. Second, if I apply the paint too liberally, the solvent seems to soak through the clear film and causes the film adhesive to be left behind on the prefinished surface when I peel off the mask.
If I could find a better-quality masking film, maybe I could solve both problems at once? I'd get better adhesion in the small detailed areas, and the film wouldn't be affected by solvents in the accent paint. Any suggestions for a product that would work here? Or should I try a different approach altogether? I'm going to be using a lot of this mask, so I'd like to find something that is affordable, but also effective.
Mike
What I'm trying to do is highlight the lettering once it has been carved by hitting it with some spray paint. Based on some searching on this forum, I tried the following approach suggested by others: I applied a transparent film (clear contact paper - shelf liner) as a mask to the surface of the prefinished blank, then V-carved through it. I then applied the spray paint to accent the letters and removed the mask when the paint dried.
I'm getting almost-acceptable results, but have two problems. First, in areas with small, fragile carving details, the mask-film is tearing out or lifting off the surface, whiich means paint gets on those areas, which I'd like to avoid. Second, if I apply the paint too liberally, the solvent seems to soak through the clear film and causes the film adhesive to be left behind on the prefinished surface when I peel off the mask.
If I could find a better-quality masking film, maybe I could solve both problems at once? I'd get better adhesion in the small detailed areas, and the film wouldn't be affected by solvents in the accent paint. Any suggestions for a product that would work here? Or should I try a different approach altogether? I'm going to be using a lot of this mask, so I'd like to find something that is affordable, but also effective.
Mike