Tips for house names and numbers

[bobsjoinery@nireland.com]

I'd like to start making house names and was wondering if there is a cheap programme for a single stroke font, or can I use vector, turbocad or coreldraw as I have these?
Another question is how can I get white letters painted onto a dark stained background without taking all day. (with dark letters on a light background I coat the wood first with clear laquer and then carve the letters, stain them quickly and just wipe off the excess but this doesnt seem to work so well with white paint)
Also, is there a type of dark stain that isn't prone to fading. Any other tips such as type of finish much appreciated. Many Thanks Bob

[e.mccullough@insightbb.com]

I have used cheap shelf lining the sticky kind. I stain or paint the wood when dry I cover it with the sticky lining then cut the name then paint them and peal off the lining. It works good for me. I get the shelf lining at the Dollar General

As for a program I have and like a free program called Desk Engraver v.20 you can get it at
www.deskam.com

I hope my way help's
Ed McCullough
The Handicapped Crafter

[kfitzgerald@graphicmetalsinc.com]

Bob,

The simplex.shx font works well for machining along vectors. I use TurboCad, and have found that text must be exploded first before importing into Part Wizard.

What Ed wrote is the way to go when painting your lettering. Have never tried the shelf lining, but we use vinyl mask from Oracal (sp?) made specifically for the purpose.

One thing I would add is before painting your contrasting color, spray with a clear sealer first to help reduce bleed-under.

Regards,

Kevin Fitz-Gerald
Project Manager

Graphic Metals, Inc.
P.O. Box 31
715 East Perry Street
Bryan, OH 43506
Voice 419-636-5757
Fax 419-636-6404

kfitzgerald@graphicmetalsinc.com (mailto:kfitzgerald@graphicmetalsinc.com)

CNC laser cutting up to 14 ga steel
CNC routing wood and plastic