Painting Puzzles

[barb.j.enders]

I cut this a while ago and was just going to finish with tung oil.  Hubby thinks I should be painting it.The magazine, where the pattern came from, shows the puzzle painted. So the question is, when you paint a puzzle, do you paint all the sides or just the front & back and outside edges?

[Wilson142]

I color all surfaces. I don't use paint though, I either use different stains or aniline dye because they don't obscure the grain of the wood. I do have a problem occasionally when the puzzle begins to get very tight due to the extra finish.

[spirithorse]

Hi, Barb,

I thin down acrylic paint to make it like a water color and paint the entire puzzle.
Since the paint is so watered down, it does not usually make the pieces much tighter
or any negative effects.
I do not let the paint on the piece to dry all by itself. Once I get the color I want with
the grain showing through, I wipe the excess off the wood. On hard woods, it probably
wouldn't matter much but, on cheap puzzles I usually use pine and I don't want it to soak up
a lot of moisture.

God Bless! Spirithorse

[new2woodwrk]

We've started using food coloring for painting puzzles.

Why?

It doesn't leave too much residue on the puzzle which can make the pieces not fit and also, we make enough that we can dip the pieces making it easier to cover all sides.

Love the tree btw.

[fredfret]

I have used permanent  marker ( Sharpie) then seal with very light cotes of spray schellac.

[jollyred]

If you use a larger blade on puzzles to be painted, that will leave a wider kerf for the paint to fit into.  That won't help on this project, but might keep it in mind for future projects.

[Sycamore67]

+1 on using a wider blade if you are going to paint.  Also, if you use a water based paint, beware that it will raise the grain and may cause very tight fit.

[Wilson142]

22 hours ago, Sycamore67 said:

+1 on using a wider blade if you are going to paint.  Also, if you use a water based paint, beware that it will raise the grain and may cause very tight fit.

I use water/alcohol based dye. I'm going to try wetting my next puzzle down, knocking down the grain with a sanding mop and then lightly apply the dye to see if that works.

[John B]

I paint mine with water based household paints, on all sides.
If the puzzle is for kids, which the ones I make usually are, I use #3 blade. This allows for 2 coats of paint and a couple of gloss clear while not making the pieces tight.

Kids love bright colours.

If I was making one for adults I would use stains

[barb.j.enders]

Thank for all the suggestions