Color Fill Question

[Bob Kline]

What is the best way to darken text on an alder plaque? I imagine it starts with some kind of finish on the wood , masking the plaque and applying the fill after engraving before removing the masking material. I've read about shoe polish, Turtlewax black liquid polish and spray paint. Based on your experience, is one of these methods superior? Also, should a Photograved photo on alder be masked beforee engraving and can it be darkened after engraving using one of the above methods? Sorry for the multiple questions.
Bob Kline

[Joe Pelonio]

The wax idea works, but you'd want to wax the wood with clear before engraving. Spray paint, even if you engrave thru a mask, is not as good because the paint is thin and bleeds through soft woods. If there's a lot of detail or in the case of a photo it takes a lot of time to remove all of the bits of mask after. What I do most often for that is clearcoat the wood, engrave a little deeper than usual, fill with latex paint, wipe off the excess as much as possible with a cloth on a flat block, then after dry I might have to sand a little and blow off the dust with air and reclear. For just lettering I'll still clearcoat or wax first, mask with transfer tape, engrave
then again latex paint fill, let dry and remove mask. Usually comes out clean.