I am making an "alternative guest book" for an upcoming wedding in our family, similar to this:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1484630...4%3A1484630191
She wants the base wood to be dark, and rather than use plywood as the Esty crafters do, I chose to glue up some walnut. We've settled on the font and layout for the letters, which I'll cut out of 1/4" MDF with the scroll saw and paint white (unless there's a better material to use?). Guests can sign the board with black Sharpie, then she wants to display this at home. She doesn't care that the signatures won't show up well on the dark walnut.
My question is on the best way to finish the walnut. I would love to use an oiled finish like Odie's Oil, but not sure the Sharpie will work well on top of this, and I'm concerned that glue will not stick to it for the letters. I was planning to use CA adhesive. Same concerns with poly. Should I wait to finish until after the event, then spray it with poly to seal the wood and Sharpie ink? Would this cause the ink to bleed? Other suggestions?
The walnut "disk" is done, 24" diameter, sanded and ready for the next step. I'm planning to add a couple of cleats across the back, perpendicular to the grain, to keep the panel flat. One will be beveled for a french cleat for hanging. I'll have to devise a way to attach it that will still allow the panel to move with the seasons.