I am staining maple with a darkish mahogany Transtint dye that i plan to finish with a water-based poly. (wbp). I thinned the dye with water. I find that if i brush on the wbp, it streaks the dye. So, i thought i’d seal it with (alcohol-based) shellac. Well, the shellac ALSO streaks the dye. It is about a 2# cut. Am i doing something wrong? I thought i would avoid this streaking by using dye and finish of different solvents.
If there’s no way to avoid this, would i be better off spraying first coats of the wbp directly onto the dye?
Thx for any help.
Replies
The basic problem is using the wrong dye. TransTint dissolves in many solvents--it does not matter which you use initially, it will still dissolve in all the same solvents after it has been applied. You can probably get away with using it if you spray on the top coat--it will help to make the first coat pretty dry. TransTint's best application is as a tinting agent to create toners or glazes.
If you prefer a hand applied finishes use a dye like a powdered water soluble dye. (TransFast is one, and W.D. Lockwood makes another in a miriad of colors.) Then you can seal that with shellac or other non-waterborne finish.
Dye
Brooklyn,
Don't let Mayor D smell any solvent release - you'll give him another reason to break chops.
After the staining - get a spray can of shellac and mist on several light coats to lock the color down before continuing.
SA
Of course!!
Ach! I was being dense. I knew transtint was both water and alcohol-soluble. And i also like to take advantage of the ability to tweak the coverage with water after it dries. I completely ignored the fact that it would be similarly still soluble by alcohol (and therefore by shellac) after drying. All makes sense now. Thanks!
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