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I just completed an arts and crafts style library table in quarter-sawn white oak. Hoping to acquire a new skill, I wanted to try an aniline dye rather than pigmented stains. After ordering several flavors of Moser’s aniline dyes, I mixed test solutions and stained some cutoffs from my completed piece. Using small test pieces for each color, I chose the Dark Fumed Oak. Topped with five coats of Minwax Tung oil (thinned 50-50 with mineral spirits), I was very pleased with the color and the finish on the test piece.
Now, I know what you’re all thinkin’…”I smell a big ‘but’ comin’!”
And you’re right.
BUT, when I stained the actual piece and let it dry, I was shocked by how muddy and opaque the grain had become. Not at all transparent like I had hoped. It looked like pigment stain that hadn’t been wiped off. I took a clean wet rag in the hope re-dissolving some of the dye and wiped the entire piece without much change in the color. I thought it might “pop” after a few coats of finish, but that hasn’t happened. What did I miss?
I mixed 1/4 oz. dye to 8 oz. hot (not boiling) water. I even used a balance to weigh out the correct amount of dye. I had already raised the grain and lightly sanded with 220 grit prior to using the dye. I wiped it on until the color was even, then wiped off any residual moisture. Any tips?
tony b.
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Sounds like you did everything pretty much correctly. I have used the same product many times. I usually brush it on with a foam brush after properly preparing the surface. I let is sit no longer than five minutes and then vigorously buff the surface with a dry cloth. I repeat this process as many times as needed to achieve the shade I'm going for.
I'm not quite sure if your proportions are exactly correct, as I always mix the entire packet in a quart (I use a Mason jar) of hot water instead of dropping down for a smaller batch. Maybe you mixed it too strong....
*OK...I think I was too impatient. After building several (seven or eight) coats of the Minwax Tung Oil, the finish has really "popped" and the piece looks EXACTLY as I had envisioned. The dye is just the right color/tone for an arts and crafts piece and the oil give it a warm, inviting finish.Yet another convert to aniline dye!tony b.
*You might try pure tung oil on some scraps. I used Miniwax tung for a while, took forever to build. Finally learned that it was already thinned. I thought the pure tung oil built a better looking finish more quickly.
*How does stickley get such a contrast in the rays of quartered oak? I have tried dyes then glaze but I do not get enough of a contrast in the rays.
*Ken, I think Stickley and other craftsman-era pieces were fumed with ammonia, not stained. After building the piece, make a little tent around it with poly sheeting, pour some household ammonia into a bowl, set it on the floor, come back in the morning and you'll have the color you want. Haven't done it myself but have read a lot about craftsman furniture. Just be careful breathing the fumes.MM
*Interestingly enough the fuming was done to minimize the effects of the grain. And this is what the dye stain has done, although very clear, it has made the pores and the "high spots" all the same color. If you want to high light the grain in an open pored wood like oak you would want to use a stain with pigment. Or better, you could establish the base color with the dye, then apply a sealer coat of finish, and then apply a pigmented stain (a glaze in this case since it is over a finish coat). This would color the pores, but leave the harder surface areas almost unchanged in color.
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