Replies

1. 
   Rob_Millard | Nov 12, 2001 02:19am | #1

   *
   I use mahogany almost exclusively, and here is how I finish it.

   On pieces that are not inlaid, I use a yellow non-grain raising dye, which has been diluted 50%. After this goes on, the piece will look like a school bus, but this will impart the golden undertone to the mahogany. I put on a red mahogany aniline water dye. When this is dry I put on a coat of stain made from walnut husks (if you want some of this let me know, and I’ll send you some, if you pay the postage). When dry, I give it 2 coats of a good linseed oil (I now use Tried & True Danish Oil). I apply the oil hot so that it soaks in well. Let this dry a few days, and topcoat with dark dewaxed shellac. At this point I fill the grain on the tops of tables, etc., with oil based filler. The shellac in my opinion is not the best finish for tabletops, so for this I use Rock Hard Varnish. I have attached a photo of an oxbow bureau I made, which is finished the way I just described.

1. 
   Sam_Culp | Nov 13, 2001 06:51am | #2

   *Rob,I really liked the color you got on your bureau and would like to experiment with your technique. Is the walnut stain made by soaking English Walnut husks in water or is it something else? Are you opposed to sharing your recipe? Also, do you know where I can get a supply of the husks? I live near a neighborhood with a large number of these trees and can get what I need.....when they drop. Problem is, I dont know when that is. I will have to stop by there this week.....Thanx in advance,Sam

1. 
   Rob_Millard | Nov 13, 2001 03:27pm | #3

   *I’m not at all opposed to sharing my recipe (if you could call it mine) for making the walnut stain. I gathered a bunch of black walnut hulls, off the ground after they had started to turn black. I have never used English Walnuts. There will be a few maggots in the hulls. Wearing gloves, I striped off the hulls and soaked them in a mixture of 50% water and 50% clear ammonia. This is best done outdoors. Let this soak for a week or so, stirring once in a while. Then strain off the liquid and bottle it. The odd thing is that after a while the ammonia smell goes away, but the stuff still has a smell that is not pleasant. I bottled some at full strength, and some at ½ strength, this way I can control to some extent what color I get. Woodworkers Supply and Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe, sell walnut crystals, which I believe when mixed with water, will make the same thing, although I have not tried it. In person the mahogany has excellent depth of grain, and a subtle aged look, that is very convincing.

1. 
   Sam_Culp | Nov 13, 2001 06:26pm | #4

   *Thanx Rob,Is that 50% amonia household amonia ora 50% mixture of 28% amonia like is used for fuming oak?Thanx again,Sam

1. 
   sbaia_ | Nov 13, 2001 08:38pm | #5

   *Rob,I'm in the middle of finishing a Mahogany piece. I stained the table with a Red Mahogany Minwax. Several coats were needed to darken it, but I'm happy with the results. I noticed that you used a shellac as a sealer prior to the grain filler. I went directly from the stain to grain filler. I intend to next add a varnish finish. Will I have adhesion or bleed thru problems to contend with without the sealer step?

2. 
   Rob_Millard | Nov 13, 2001 11:16pm | #6

   *I used just plain grocery store ammonia. To answer the other question about sealing before grain filling, it is a personal choice, on my part to do it that way. The oil base grain filler, can act as a stain, since I already have achieved the color I want, I seal the wood with shellac, to prevent this. You won’t have any adhesion problems, by doing it the other way. One thing, if you do put the shellac on before the grain filler, it must be put on very thin, otherwise, the shellac will fill the grain slightly and make it difficult for the grain filler to stick in the pores.

3. 
   sbaia_ | Nov 14, 2001 03:16am | #7

   *Thanks Rob for the info

4. 
   Sam_Culp | Nov 24, 2001 03:33am | #8

   *Thanx Rob.Been out for a while, hope you get this message.Sam