Replies

1. 
   sschefer | Apr 22, 2002 05:37am | #1

   Well, I don't know how well this is going to be accepted but I once did this by accident. I wiped down a piece of red oak with BLO then for some reason forgot and hit it with some dark walnut stain. The BLO was not cured yet so when I wiped it off, the red oak came out with an orange huh while what remained in the grain pores was dark and almost black. I figured it was some sort of weird reaction or something and turned the piece into firewood.

   Steve - in Northern California

1. 
   Biscardi | Apr 22, 2002 06:51am | #2

   I think the mahoghany was probably filled with a dark paste filler to level the surface. You don't have to do this with mahoghany, but you can if you like.

   I am not certain how they did the orange hue. Actuallythe wood is sort of a pumpkin color initially, so maybe they just put an orange shellac on it.

   I think it is a capital mistake to overstain (excessively darken) mahoghany. The wood oxidizes over time and will darken somewhat on its own. If you stain it mud/reddish/brown it will look ok for a while but eventually it darkens to where you can   not see the grain at all.

   In the past I have sealled it with a 1lbs cut of shellac and then used Minwax mahoghany stain. I only let it dry for 5-6 hours and then I put the first coat of tung oil on it. This actually removes some of the stain so the overall result is faintly red. Over the next two days or so it gets 5-6 coats of tung oil.  I rub out every second coat with 0000 steel wool. The pores fill with finish- no reason to use a filler. The result is rather nice, and it doesn't look like you bought it at Sears.

   Well, lots of ways to skin a cat.

   Frank

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 22, 2002 07:22am | #3

   Frank, just to be specific, that's "catfish."  :-)

   I'm patting myself on the back here, because I was betting that a paste filler was used.  Just wish I could put theory into practice!

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   gwcarpenter | Apr 22, 2002 11:42pm | #4

   JJ, two other thoughts... from days past working on mahogany boats.

   1) A stain (jel) was applied and immediately wiped or scrapered off... leaving only the open grain filled. Sanding with the grain would deepen the "trough"... the dye left behind would remain for the same reason a intaglio process works for printing... it's stored there, while the extra is removed. Allowed to dry, then top coated.

   The orange/red iridecent look is rather natural to newly finished

   mahogany.

   Pity the fool who stained his mahogany brightwork with commercial "mahogany" stain. Gross Ugly Purple ("GUP") was the result. We always used a light "cherry" stain to accent the red-tones and kill some of the amber/orange.

   2) A dark shellac was applied as a ground. Button or Seedlac... what remains is the saturated open grain, while the balance of the coating was wiped, sanded or scraped away. Either of the darker shellacs would, in combination with the darker grain appear deep brown/black.

   -gwc

2. 
   Biscardi | Apr 24, 2002 03:31am | #5

   FG

   Catfish?

   Frank

1. 
   forestgirl | Apr 24, 2002 07:43pm | #9

   Hi Frank, missed your post yesterday -- tried to cut my finger off with a kitchen knife!  (A tablesaw blade is so obviously dangerous, not so a knife sometimes).

   I once read that the "skin a cat" saying was originally "skin a catfish."  A rather odd concept, I admit!  'Course, I've never fished for catfish.  Bass, trout, and salmon, yes.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

3. 
   Biscardi | Apr 24, 2002 03:33am | #6

   FG,

   I get it . . . skin a catfish. I thought you nailed it to a tree and then went nuts with a sharp knife and pliers.

   Frank

2. 
   blindau | Apr 24, 2002 03:52am | #7

   Potassium dicromate is often used to give mahogany an "aged" look. This chemical is an oxidizer and leaves the wood a dark reddish orange with the open grain turning black.

   Bill

3. 
   PlaneWood | Apr 24, 2002 06:29am | #8

   I have the luxury of being able to pick through large piles of mahogany scraps.  I only get the darker heavy pieces and never stain or use wood filler.  I generally apply several hand rubbed coats of poly which pretty well fills up the grain.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
   PlaneWood