What if I. . . .

[monterey]

Stain the lam edges dark on a bow with light colored lams under clear glass.  Will the stain penetrate into the wood far enough to show under the clear glass?

[wood carver 2]

That would depend mostly on the type of wood used, but you should probably expect some stain to go in to some depth.
You could try to seal the edges first with shellac and then possibly painting them. It would be something to experiment with on some scraps.
Dave.

[monterey]

Thanks for your thoughts on that.  The scrap wood experiment is what I'll try!

[jhk1]

Just another thought-- you might be able to use one of the combined stain/polyurethane (all-in-one) products on the lam edges.  I normally hate this stuff because the "stain" in it doesn't penetrate the wood like a regular oil-based stain alone, and it typically doesn't look as good as doing the regular 2-step process (stain, then poly), but it might be just the ticket for this application.  The stain/color in it probably won't penetrate much (a good thing for this application), but the wood grain should still show through (unlike with paint).  If you go this route, I would use a fine-tipped brush and apply it like paint, being careful not to get it on the edges of the clear glass.  If you do get some on the glass, you can remove it from the glass with paint thinner before it dries.  Probably just one coat of the stain/poly product, then a few coats of Minwax Wipe-on Poly for additional protection and to get a nice smooth finish.  The all-in-one stain/poly would probably work over an initial shellac sealer coat, as suggested above.  You can try with and without the shellac sealer coat on scrap wood to see if it looks much different.

[Robertfishes]

would wiping "India Ink" work on the edges?

[Sam Harper]

I'd be worried about the dye bleeding a little under the fiberglass and looking like crap.

[monterey]

Sam, that's what I was worried about too.  

have a bow here with clear glass that I'm thinking of painting camo.   Will be my guinea pig first.

[Sixby]

I've done it., YOu need to seal the edges and then paint them. I sealed mine with super glue a couple of times and then painted them . worked great.
God bless, Steve