Tips On How To Do Oak Woodgraining
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:34 pm
To get the correct effect for old quartersawn oak, you need a metal check roller or fine tooth metal graining comb (not those rubber rocker graining tools) to get the look of fine grain oak. Modern oak has a wider grain, where old oak has a fine straight grain, so you want to emulate that antique oak look. The rubber rocker graining tools replicate the look of wide grain pine...
Disclosure: I have not done wood graining, but I asked the best wood graining artist I ever met - who did my cygnet horn, how it was done. Unfortunately he died 5 or 6 years ago, so I can't ask him any more questions...
The basics are these: (1) paint the horn with a primer, (2) paint over the primer with a base coat which is a similar color to the oak background - usually a dark yellowish color, (3) spray the base color with a clear coat (lacquer) to keep the graining stain from setting too quickly, (4) apply the graining stain, which can be a gel stain that contrasts and darkens the yellowish background, brush it on in long straight lines, (5) before the graining stain dries, roll the check roller over the panel in straight lines to create the grain effect or use a metal graining comb to create the straight, fine graining, (6) wrap a small cloth around your finger and wipe the stain away to create the "flakes" or tiger striping effect, (7) take a dry cheap paint brush and gently brush - LIGHTLY - over the entire area to blur and blend the graining to give it a more natural effect, (8) when it looks right, wait for it to dry and coat the entire area with a thin coat of amber shellac... I believe that when Danny did my horn he taped every other panel and did them one at a time, when they were done he re-taped the other panels and then proceeded to repeat the procedure on the unfinished panels. This made each panel look like a separate piece of wood, if that makes sense.
Before you start painting your horn, you should practice on something to get the hang of it... Also, keep a picture of a piece of quartersawn oak nearby to compare the flaking pattern... GOOGLE quartersawn oak or tiger oak and you should find a number of pictures.
Here's a video that gives a general tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExHVeUCXwPY
Wood graining check rollers: https://walltools.com/advance-2-wood-gr ... k-rollers/
Wood graining steel combs: https://www.fauxbrushes.com/WD-5.html
Disclosure: I have not done wood graining, but I asked the best wood graining artist I ever met - who did my cygnet horn, how it was done. Unfortunately he died 5 or 6 years ago, so I can't ask him any more questions...
The basics are these: (1) paint the horn with a primer, (2) paint over the primer with a base coat which is a similar color to the oak background - usually a dark yellowish color, (3) spray the base color with a clear coat (lacquer) to keep the graining stain from setting too quickly, (4) apply the graining stain, which can be a gel stain that contrasts and darkens the yellowish background, brush it on in long straight lines, (5) before the graining stain dries, roll the check roller over the panel in straight lines to create the grain effect or use a metal graining comb to create the straight, fine graining, (6) wrap a small cloth around your finger and wipe the stain away to create the "flakes" or tiger striping effect, (7) take a dry cheap paint brush and gently brush - LIGHTLY - over the entire area to blur and blend the graining to give it a more natural effect, (8) when it looks right, wait for it to dry and coat the entire area with a thin coat of amber shellac... I believe that when Danny did my horn he taped every other panel and did them one at a time, when they were done he re-taped the other panels and then proceeded to repeat the procedure on the unfinished panels. This made each panel look like a separate piece of wood, if that makes sense.
Before you start painting your horn, you should practice on something to get the hang of it... Also, keep a picture of a piece of quartersawn oak nearby to compare the flaking pattern... GOOGLE quartersawn oak or tiger oak and you should find a number of pictures.
Here's a video that gives a general tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExHVeUCXwPY
Wood graining check rollers: https://walltools.com/advance-2-wood-gr ... k-rollers/
Wood graining steel combs: https://www.fauxbrushes.com/WD-5.html