signing my work in epoxy

[Roger Feeley]

I recently posted a thread with pictures of my spiral stair treads.

My next trick is to let my two grandsons imprint a tread. Sort of like letting your kids make handprints in the concrete. here's the procedure:

-- Using black finger paint, get handprints from my two grandsons (1 and 3 years old)
-- Scan to jpgs
-- Add their names and use a laser engraver to engrave the handprints into the oak treads as deep as I can. I'm told over the laser group that engraving oak is difficult because of the grain. As long as I get everything below 'grade', I will be happy. I might even hollow some bits out with a chisel.
-- fill with black epoxy and sand smooth

My plan is to do this on a spare tread so that some owner down the road doesn't have to figure out how to build a new tread. Also, my daughter and son-in-law might want to have the memento.

I thought about doing all this as some sort of router inlay but hey, I have access to two 100W lasers so why not?

I will post pictures unless I just catch the wood on fire. (edit: if I catch the wood on fire I will definately post pictures :) )

[Pete Staehling]

Sounds like a great project. I look forward to the pictures.

[Jamie Buxton]

Why all the work to get to a black inlay? Why not get the grandkids to handprint in black paint directly on to the oak, and apply your finish -- varnish or whatever -- over that? Put the handprints where wear is unlikely.

[Wayne Jolly]

Because . . . LASER! :D

Wayne

[Roger Feeley]

Why all the work to get to a black inlay? Why not get the grandkids to handprint in black paint directly on to the oak, and apply your finish -- varnish or whatever -- over that? Put the handprints where wear is unlikely.

One of the boys is 1 year old. By putting the prints on paper, we get unlimited tries. Putting the print directly on unfinished oak would be high stakes.

regarding wear, these are spiral stair treads. Unless if I want the prints in a low wear spot, they will be almost invisible. I want them front and center.

and....LASER!!

[Wayne Cannon]

I think that is a great idea. If deep enough, it will also withstand sanding and refinishing.

Our kitchen came with a beautiful island top of glued up tropical hardwoods by the local Maharajah water ski company with their logo done similarly. It works very well, though it was shallow enough that spots needed to be redone when I sanded and refinished the top. It looks like it was burn-in branded, filled, and sanded smooth.

[Jamie Buxton]

One of the boys is 1 year old. By putting the prints on paper, we get unlimited tries. Putting the print directly on unfinished oak would be high stakes.

regarding wear, these are spiral stair treads. Unless if I want the prints in a low wear spot, they will be almost invisible. I want them front and center.

and....LASER!!

On a riser, eyeball-high. No wear, and right in front of you.

[Roger Feeley]

On a riser, eyeball-high. No wear, and right in front of you.

This is a metal spiral staircase. No risers. To meet safety codes, there are steel bars midway so there’s no gap fora kid to go through.

[Pete Staehling]

One of the boys is 1 year old. By putting the prints on paper, we get unlimited tries. Putting the print directly on unfinished oak would be high stakes.

regarding wear, these are spiral stair treads. Unless if I want the prints in a low wear spot, they will be almost invisible. I want them front and center.

and....LASER!!

Yeah, getting hand prints from kids that age can be difficult. Getting them on paper and then picking and choosing which ones to use can be a big advantage.

[johnny means]

Beware, your black epoxy may bleed up the grain, causing a blurred look. We paint our "inlays" in clear epoxy before filling with colored epoxy. This is one in wormy maple. Oak can be even worse. I've seen epoxy wick through three inches of solid oak and seep out the end.

[Joe Adams]

Beware, your black epoxy may bleed up the grain, causing a blurred look. We paint our "inlays" in clear epoxy before filling with colored epoxy. This is one in wormy maple. Oak can be even worse. I've seen epoxy wick through three inches of solid oak and seep out the end.

Especially Red Oak. It's essentially a bundle of straws and will draw moisture from one end of a board to the other.

[Doug Garson]

Make sure you save the files for future projects