How to stain specific areas on aluminum?

[SaberFreak]

I need to apply some kind of stain on a pattern etched out on an aluminum tube, but not sure how not to also stain the surrounding areas.

The alu tube is not smooth as I've sanded it, so it would be as susceptible to stains as the etched area. Masking is not an option as the pattern has fine, intricate lines too slim to work around.

And I'm not stateside thus do not have access to Lowe's, Home Depot etc, plus I do not want to spend money shipping in stuff I'll only use once.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[robn1]

How deep is the etching? The best way I can think of is to stain, then sand the
stain off of the surrounding area. If the rest is already sanded, that won't do
any harm right?

 

[Sidewinder]

You could maybe use liquid masking tape eg. Humbrol Maskol or even blu-tak?

SAS

 

[SaberFreak]

How deep is the etching? The best way I can think of is to stain, then sand the stain off of the surrounding area. If the rest is already sanded, that won't do any harm right?

Yeah I just thought of that after posting... :lol

The etching is very shallow; well its not so much etching but hand chasing. I just say etching to make it easier to understand...

 

[SaberFreak]

You could maybe use liquid masking tape eg. Humbrol Maskol or even blu-tak?

SAS

None of those are available locally I'm afraid...where I'm at is like the outer-outer-outer rim planets...

 

[SaberFreak]

Unfortunately, the 'paint-and-sand' method didn't work. The etching (or chasing) is just too shallow and the paint on that area came right off with the sanding.

Only a teeny weeny amount of paint got left behind in the deeper grooves, but not enough to make a significant difference.

Any other suggestions guys?

 

[GrenadeKing]

Maybe paint the whole thing and use thinner to try and remove the rest?

I've had success with it in the past... to varying degree. Depends on the piece in question most of the time. Finish, depth, etc.

 

[SaberFreak]

Thanks for the suggestion GrenadeKing. Will give that a try and see how it goes.

I'm just worried that the thinner will flow down onto the etched area, since its a tube. We'll see.

 

[Great_Bizarro]

Don't know exactly what your are shooting for, but possibly use wax, coat the object and use a thin styles to draw the pattern or lines by gently scratching the wax away. Afterward place the object in warm enough water to remove the wax.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

The above idea is good. You could also try clay.

 

[Tetmatek]

How about masking the whole piece; draw your design and cut it out with an exacto knife. That is how i do multilayer and Ghost paint jobs.

 

[Reactor drone]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sidewinder
You could maybe use liquid masking tape eg. Humbrol Maskol or even blu-tak?

SAS

None of those are available locally I'm afraid...where I'm at is like the outer-outer-outer rim planets...

Maskol is basically a coloured latex,so you could just use plain latex instead.