BambooFill is real wood, so we can use wood stains to finish off the parts!
Any wood stain should work, but the MinWax brand worked for our tests. You can find these at your local hardware shop.
You can stain with different colors or even layer them on top to create a multilayer stain.
Sanding
We’ll start off by sanding all of the parts down with a 320 grit sand paper. Make sure to get into all of the small spaces.
You’ll notice that sanding brings out the chalky white characteristics of the PLA, but it darkens up once we apply the stain.
Multilayer wood stain
We’ll start off with a dark walnut for the first layer. Stir and use a cloth to apply a textured stroke to add those wood grain patterns. Don’t apply a lot of pressure, just gently glide the cloth across parts. Fold the cloth into a small shape that can fit around smaller pieces.
More Layers
Let it dry for about 5 minutes and then use an 80 grit sand paper to remove any blotches. This also helps to get that weathered look. After applying a second coat of a red oak color, we’ll sand it down again and then apply a small amount of green. Once applied, quickly wipe it off. This will give it just a hint of green in the wood. To finish off, switch back to the 320 grit sand paper.
Wood Filler
Just like real wood, you can you fillers to plug in gaps. Wood putty worked great for filling in the top part of the blade tip. Apply after staining, let it dry and then sand off any left overs.
You can really see a difference when compared to an unfinished part. Definitely worth the effort to post process wooden prints.
Page last edited April 28, 2015
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