# Question about wood burning after staining



## BenI

Hi all,

Working on a project and after putting on 3 coats of stain on pine, my signature that I burned on (with a wood burning pen) is much harder to notice because the surrounding wood is darker now. Unfortunately I didn't think about that before staining.

So my question to you guys, can I go back over it now and darken it up some, with stain already on it before putting on polyurethane?

I used General Finishes Oil Based Wood stain, so I'm not sure if I'd light the thing on fire or not.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. DUE TO THE TIMELINE FOR THIS PROJECT, EITHER WAY I HAVE TO DO THE FIRST COAT OF POLYURETHANE ON IN A FEW HOURS SO TIME IS SHORT.


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## dhazelton

You could put the poly on and then go over the signature with a white wash of some kind so your signature is lighter than the surrounding wood…..or fill it in with black paint after poly and wipe off the top surface.


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## lepelerin

you could try on a small piece of scrap where you might have tried the stain first and see if it gets on fire. I would say it won't as long as you do not put the burning pen too long on the wood. Let us know what you decided to do.


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## woodchuckerNJ

it won't go on fire.
you don't have an open fire, only an electric heated element.


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## pintodeluxe

I would just finish as planned, and after the poly has cured wipe a bit of white furniture polish into the signature. A light colored pencil will work just as well.


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## BenI

Thanks for the quick responses as usual!

*Pintodeluxe* and *dhazelton* - Wanted the signature to stay dark since the wood, although stained is still relatively light.

Decided just to try it out since it isn't a real obvious spot. Turned out just fine and looks a lot better now. Thanks for confirming that it wouldn't turn into a fireball haha


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## DocSavage45

Don't do as I do do as I say "Don't be in a hurry." LOL!


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