I'm just floating with an idea here, and I need a few opinions on some
of the practicalities - hope you can help.

I want to make up mosaics of small square hardwood tiles to form
images, and use them as wall hangings or, if they turn out durable
enough, as table tops. I've been doing something similar with glass
mosaic tiles using photomosaic software, which is still experimental,
but is turning out OK, so the computer / assembly end of it is no
problem.

To make it work, I need a "palette" of a minimum of 25 different
standard shades of tile, which is arbitrary, but must be reasonably
accurate and reproducible. I thought I could achieve this by cutting
stock tiles (19 mm * 19 mm * 5 mm, say) from a very light timber
(beech?), and then staining them by immersing them in a given stain for
a given time to get a given tile-shade, ready for assembly. Is this a
practical idea? What kind of stains should I be working with (I'm a
beginner here)?

I reckon I could assemble the tiles image-face down on a smooth sheet
of heavy ply (somebody I spoke to suggested plate glass for a perfect
finish - and he has a couple of big panes available); then glue and
clamp them together; finally glue on a structural backing - heavy ply
or MDF?

Then flip the whole thing right way up, add edging / frame / whatever
and polish or varnish.

How durable would a surface made up of small tiles like this be? Is
expansion / contraction / water-content a factor (I'm in Northern
Ireland - a damp and soggy spot).

How deep can a stain penetrate a timber surface? Can you lightly sand
or buff a stained surface without removing the stain (so as to clean up
surface imperfections at tile edges but not damage the image effect)?

Like I say, I'm just working through some of the obvious kinks - I'd
like to hear from a few people who know more than me.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm just floating with an idea here, and I need a few opinions on some
of the practicalities - hope you can help.

I want to make up mosaics of small square hardwood tiles to form
images, and use them as wall hangings or, if they turn out durable
enough, as table tops. I've been doing something similar with glass
mosaic tiles using photomosaic software, which is still experimental,
but is turning out OK, so the computer / assembly end of it is no
problem.

To make it work, I need a "palette" of a minimum of 25 different
standard shades of tile, which is arbitrary, but must be reasonably
accurate and reproducible. I thought I could achieve this by cutting
stock tiles (19 mm * 19 mm * 5 mm, say) from a very light timber
(beech?), and then staining them by immersing them in a given stain for
a given time to get a given tile-shade, ready for assembly. Is this a
practical idea? What kind of stains should I be working with (I'm a
beginner here)?

I reckon I could assemble the tiles image-face down on a smooth sheet
of heavy ply (somebody I spoke to suggested plate glass for a perfect
finish - and he has a couple of big panes available); then glue and
clamp them together; finally glue on a structural backing - heavy ply
or MDF?

Then flip the whole thing right way up, add edging / frame / whatever
and polish or varnish.

How durable would a surface made up of small tiles like this be? Is
expansion / contraction / water-content a factor (I'm in Northern
Ireland - a damp and soggy spot).

How deep can a stain penetrate a timber surface? Can you lightly sand
or buff a stained surface without removing the stain (so as to clean up
surface imperfections at tile edges but not damage the image effect)?

Like I say, I'm just working through some of the obvious kinks - I'd
like to hear from a few people who know more than me.

Like this?
http://www.marquetry.org/detview520.htm
Dave



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Wow ! Those are good! But way beyond my ambitions. I want to use
regular square tiles and assemble the images using photomosaic
software.

My big question right now is about the kind of stain I need to use, as
I outlined in my first post. Anybody?

Thanks

I've never tried anything like this, but I have a few thoughts.

1. Pigmented stain is not going to respond well (it will change the
resulting color) to sanding at all.
2. Dye might work, but I would change colors with a different
concentration/mix of dye. You would have to try a sample to see if you get
adequate penetration to withstand some sanding.
3. Wood, even from the same tree will have natural color variations. Rather
than sorting the pieces by the color applied, would it be possible the color
the pieces and then sort them by the color that you end up with? This would
enable you to fume your wood samples with ammonia to get color variations.
Fuming does penetrate very well.
4. A washcoat of finish may be advisable before sorting colors. The finish
will make a difference in the apparent color.
5. Thinner may be better. Rather than tiles, think of squares of veneer.
Veneer will stay with the substrate. Thick tiles will create movement
problems.

Food for thought.

Steve






wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm just floating with an idea here, and I need a few opinions on some
of the practicalities - hope you can help.

I want to make up mosaics of small square hardwood tiles to form
images, and use them as wall hangings or, if they turn out durable
enough, as table tops. I've been doing something similar with glass
mosaic tiles using photomosaic software, which is still experimental,
but is turning out OK, so the computer / assembly end of it is no
problem.

To make it work, I need a "palette" of a minimum of 25 different
standard shades of tile, which is arbitrary, but must be reasonably
accurate and reproducible. I thought I could achieve this by cutting
stock tiles (19 mm * 19 mm * 5 mm, say) from a very light timber
(beech?), and then staining them by immersing them in a given stain for
a given time to get a given tile-shade, ready for assembly. Is this a
practical idea? What kind of stains should I be working with (I'm a
beginner here)?

I reckon I could assemble the tiles image-face down on a smooth sheet
of heavy ply (somebody I spoke to suggested plate glass for a perfect
finish - and he has a couple of big panes available); then glue and
clamp them together; finally glue on a structural backing - heavy ply
or MDF?

Then flip the whole thing right way up, add edging / frame / whatever
and polish or varnish.

How durable would a surface made up of small tiles like this be? Is
expansion / contraction / water-content a factor (I'm in Northern
Ireland - a damp and soggy spot).

How deep can a stain penetrate a timber surface? Can you lightly sand
or buff a stained surface without removing the stain (so as to clean up
surface imperfections at tile edges but not damage the image effect)?

Like I say, I'm just working through some of the obvious kinks - I'd
like to hear from a few people who know more than me.



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NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

wrote in message
ups.com...
Wow ! Those are good! But way beyond my ambitions. I want to use
regular square tiles and assemble the images using photomosaic
software.

My big question right now is about the kind of stain I need to use, as
I outlined in my first post. Anybody?

Thanks


Intense aniline mixing dyes. You can make any color you want.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...190,42996&ap=1

Dave

Dave, Steve

Thanks for your input. Food for thought, indeed.