[NDWoodWorker]

Hello everyone. I’m trying to finish a game board made of aspen. I need to number about sixty blocks 1-10. Each block, so far, has been sanded and coated with two coats of min wax “warm gloss” polyurethane.
I purchased a few colored acrylic hobby paints and also have spray paint and a stencil to try to paint these numbers. So far they bleed into the grain and under the stencil pretty bad. Ideally they would have been routed/carved/cncd but I’m sticking with the paint for now. Any tips?
I’ve tried taping and even clamping the stencil to the project to create a tight fit but the bleed still occurs. I’ve also tried using “mod podge” which is a crafting glue type substance to create a seal under the paint and it still looks kind of rough after.
Sorry if this is more of a crafting/hobby type question but I figured someone might know of a sealer or better method to pull this off.

 

[NDWoodWorker]

Thanks for the responses already. I did not know woods needed to be sealed before poly. Here is a picture. Those test pieces were spray painted over a stencil. As you can see, they’re “ok” but not really crisp lines.

 

[NDWoodWorker]

You might have better luck using large numbers on rubber stamps. Don't over ink them or use excessive paint. Start here: Large Rubber Numbers Stamp Set Diary Stamp 10pcs - Etsy

Another option would be to spray a temporary adhesive on the back side of the stencil so it sticks tight to the block. Removable spray adhesive by Scotch is one product that works well. The idea is to seal the edges of the stencil to the block so the paint can't seep under it. It's capilary acton that sucks the paint under the stencil. The adhesive may stop the seepage. Worth a try, you can get the removable adhesive spray cans for the big box stores. May need refreshing. Also, consider spraying the top and underside of the stencil with a clear sealer so your paint doesn't soak through.

Thanks for the advice. I had not at all considered rubber stamps - I’ll keep that in my back pocket!

 

[NDWoodWorker]

I just had an epiphany and realized that the little wooden numbers they sell at craft stores might be prefect for my project. It’s kind of cheating but I could paint them and line them up nicely and simply glue them on…