Getting contrast in laser engraved red oak?

[DaveS]

I had someone laser engrave some "arrow of light" plaques that I had made out of red oak. He suggested I pre-stain them, but not clear coat them. I used Minwax golden oak stain.

Most of the plaques turned out super - the laser etched part ended up much darker than the surrounding wood.

Some of them, however, you can't read the etching.

I am wondering what's the best way to increase the contrast? Should I just stain them again? Will the etched spots take in more stain and get darker than the surface?

I'm looking for some wisdom before I start experimenting and ruin them.

Thanks for your help....

[cabinetman]

Can you post a picture?

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[DaveS]

Here are three pics... the first is a comparison of one that is readable, and one that is not - you can see it was due (I believe) to the different grain of those pieces of oak.

The next is a closeup of the engraved area.

The final is a "dry fit" of what the final project is going to be... although I'm going to make prettier arrow holders.

I now see that I will need to do some sort of fix up, as some of the engravings have some areas around the engraving that have overheated and caused some weirdness in the stain.

The plaques are 7.25"x28"

Thanks again for your thoughts...

[JR]

I was browsing the Eagle America catalog yesterday and noticed a spray ink for sign making.



The idea is that you spray in the grooves, then sand away the overspray from the field area. It comes in a variety of colors.

JR

[woodturner]

Here are three pics... the first is a comparison of one that is readable, and one that is not - you can see it was due (I believe) to the different grain of those pieces of oak.

Can you use a small brush to "paint in" stain in the grooves, or possibly paint?

Oak has fairly coarse grain, and the grain may soak up stain and cause it to "bleed" outside of the grooves. If you apply finish first, though, and then use gel stain or paint for the grooves, it should not bleed.

[atgcpaul]

I was browsing the Eagle America catalog yesterday and noticed a spray ink for sign making.


The idea is that you spray in the grooves, then sand away the overspray from the field area. It comes in a variety of colors.

JR

Yes, this approach is what I would suggest, too.

[DaveS]

Just to follow up on my own post... thanks for all the tips, guys. It aimed me towards the right solution.

Here is what I ended up doing: I sprayed the plaques with clear coat (spray shellac, in this case). Then after it dried well, I took some black craft paint and smooshed it into the grooves, then wiped it off with a damp sponge (quickly). It left just enough in the carvings to make them pop.

Here is an example of one with just one coat of paint in the grooves - I added another to this one to fix the missing spots.