Printing with Wood Stain

[tterrell]

I'm working on a project where I'm hoping to print a design on a wooden surface with stain (which will eventually become a table). I've been wargaming it with Orion and we're a little concerned with how thin the stain is.

Does anyone have any experience screen printing with wood stain?

[StuJohnston]

Why not a transparent ink in the color of the stain?

[mooseman]

you  really should try this out on scrap first as wood stain is meant to penetrate and travel into the grain of the wood.
I would think you are going to have a blurry splotch at best plus the stain will wick under the screen and make a mess.
i guess if I were going to try this I would try some cut vinyl possibly a low tack type as my stencil, attach it to the table and dab your stain on by hand let dry then pull the vinyl.

You might look into Minwax gel stains as they are not watery and are actually a gel you apply then wipe off after a while.
The gel will still penetrate the wood but you might have a fighting chance with the thicker stain.

You also might try doing this in reverse, again with vinyl except this time as a mask. Cut it as your image applty to the top then seal the wood with a light coat of the following finish......40 % polyurethane varnish + 40% tung oil (see homer formby's brand good stuff) http://www.formbys.com/products/tung_oil/
and 20% mineral spirits or paint thinner.
.
Apply the above coating with a clean cotton tee shirt (white) let dry peel your mask, chase the adhesive then stain the uncoated area that was under the mask.
Go back and hit everything with the finish mix, several coats it builds up nice and is buttery smooth.

TEST TEST TEST it first all in all a long shot.

You might do way better with thin vinyl on the stained top and a heavy top coat AKA decoupage like you see on some bar tops abd restrauant tables.
https://www.google.com/#q=using+a+decoupage&spell=1

mooseman

mooseman

[inkman996]

What type of wood will you want to do this on? Tight grain like Maple or loose grain like red oak?

I have seen people stencil and spray different stains on wood in the past, using a sprayer helps because if you do it with a brush or rag i will creep under the stencil If you are using a loose grain wood you might want to use a grain filler and smooth it first so you get a uniform penetration.

[3Deep]

I would use the highest mesh count I could get and pour the stain in there to see if it runs right through if not you might get lucky.

Darryl

[tterrell]

Good ideas so far, guys.

Here's the longer version of the story:

I'm taking an Alternative Print Methods class this semester as a part of my graduate studies. Part of the class we're manually screen printing posters and for the other half we're going to be doing letterpress prints.

For one of our projects we have to screen print something and then "transform" it. IE, not just print a static poster. Thus my idea of printing some wood and then building something out of it. I figured I might take the "alternative" part of the class one step farther and screen print with stains.

I wonder though, couldn't I just screen print standard inks onto the wood and then apply a thick varnish to it once I've cut it up? That would protect the print well enough, wouldn't it?

[ebscreen]

Nazdar 5500 is recommended for wood, and looks awesome.
No clearcoat needed unless you want it.

[Inkworks]

I wonder though, couldn't I just screen print standard inks onto the wood and then apply a thick varnish to it once I've cut it up? That would protect the print well enough, wouldn't it?

That depends, if you mean plastisol ink, then no, it just doesn't work well on wood. It doesn't have the strength when cured to hold up to any abuse, even varnished it's just putting a hard clear-coat of a soft ink deposit.

[broadway]

I hand print many wooden signs that i sell wholesale and retail. I use primed pine wood and use regular latex house paint. I am able to gang images on auto screens. I use the same emulsion as i do for my t-shirts, qtx. The screens have held up just fine with the water based paint. My my mesh is either 110 or 156. My images simple bold fonts. I did look at NazDar inks but i decided to go with cheaper house paints (no shipping,thinners...). The house paint is very thin. I use a turkey baster to add ink to the screen. I use a hard squeegee and pull it towards me. After some practice it is very easy to do. All of the signs i print all end up distressed. Just watch your off contact, and do not put too much ink/stain in the screen. You will need some clear coat on the table if you actually want to ever use it.

[mk162]

i had an employee that printed with house paint back in the day.  works fine.

as for stain, i would use a gel stain.  they are thicker and would be much easier to control.  you can also add some thickener to it or regular stain.  cabosil should work fine....bust test it first