Replies

1. 
   JBD | Jul 09, 2004 01:07am | #1

   To keep maple from turning that puky 'gym floor' orange-yellow, you have to add a dye tint to the clear that is the complimentary color of orange-yellow, in order to cancel out the unwanted color.   In this case you will want a bluish purple dye.  This is tricky, and I've done it successfully, but its very easy to add too much dye and turn the maple too purple.  The perfect amount will make the maple look "grey" or neutral - the look you want.  This should only be sprayed on, and is film thickness dependent - too many coats, too much purple.  I used water white conversion varnish (SW) in the past as well as CAB acrylic lacquer - two of the most non- yellowing finishes other than waterborne.  The tints I used were the alcohol-based dye stains from Mohawk, which can be added to lacquer.  http://www.homesteadfinishing.com  also has dye tints.  DO NOT try this in a brushed finish.  Sam Maloof's oil finish for maple also has this purple color-canceling effect in it. 

    

   "The furniture designer is an architect." - Maurice DuFrenes (French Art Deco furniture designer, contemporary of Ruhlmann)

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2. 
   KeithNewton | Jul 09, 2004 07:56am | #2

   I may not understand your question, but I might suggest that what you are after may be as much a function of light source as that of the finish.

   I like oil finishes for woods that have a lot of luster, or chatoyancy which describes the way the luster moves around relative to a polarized light source. Wetting out the wood fiber provides a deeper luster that is lost when spraying a finish that sits on top of the wood and may hide the luster under low angle reflection from a light-source.

   I do not use oil for any tabletop surfaces, because they tend to watermark, but for trim you should not have any problems, but do not expect it to look its best without thinking about your lighting.

   What you are after disappears under diffused lighting, and looks best under a point-source especially when from the side of the grain

   I never show a customer a wood sample under the florescent lights in the shop. I always bring them into the office or into the studio where I have recessed lights. I show them how the light seems to move in the wood relative to the light source when you move it around, or move the light around. Kind of like a cue-ball bounces off the rail at a reflection angle, if you will. The more you can saturate the wood cells with oil, and the finer you sand, the better the depth of luster.

   Get a sample and play around with it under a light, and see if this is what you like.

   Some people like a lot of ground pigments suspended in a polimer so thick you can't tell what kind of wood was used, but I kind of like showing the beauty of the wood that I choose for a project. Good Luck, I hope this helps

1. 
   SamWilson | Jul 09, 2004 07:27pm | #3

   Thanks for the info. "Chatoyancy" is a new word for me. I've been trying for years to get depth and liveliness in a finish, and I usually fail. I've put on a few oil finishes and don't think they look all that great. Maybe I didn't put on enough coats. Or maybe I didn't get the wood surface smooth enough to start off. I try again!

   The other post about using purpule to offset yellowing is also a real gem. Thanks!

   Sam

3. 
   AlanTurner | Jul 09, 2004 08:09pm | #4

   When dealing with curly maple, my finish preference is a first coat of BLO, followed by whatever, from shellac or laquer to varnish. You will get some yellow out of this, and I even add some if that is the color I want, but you will get the grain to pop. Just let it dry well before overcoating, esp. in a humid summer climate. As to holding the light color, you can add a bit of oil based white paint to the BLO, and with this approach you will get a bit of pickleed look. Think Danish Modern, 1957. The white pigment will, however, take away some of the curly appearance. this same approach also works on white oak and ash, if you want to hold it light.

   When I say to add yellow, I am speaking of using a water soluble dye before the blo. Transtint is a good choice, and the color would be honey amber in that line. It si a yellow brown mix. Raise the grain first with distilled water, sand it back, and use distilled water to make up your tining color as well. Chemicals or minerals in tap water can react with wood, including maple, and distilled water, at about $1/gal., is good insurance. In terms of strength, I have a plastic water bottle of diluted honey amber around at all times, and when it gets low, I add to it. My mix is 25 drops, with water up to the 3d ring of this Poland Springs, 8 oz. water bottle. Pretty sceintific, huh?

   Alan

   http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com

1. 
   aguita | Jul 09, 2004 08:31pm | #5

   Thanks,

   I did try the Transtint, Honey Amber and it came out too yellow/orange.  I will try the oil.