Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 15, 2006 07:13pm | #1

   What effect are you looking for?  Light and modern, or as close to antique mahogany as possible.  Glossy or nearly natural?  Lots of choices. 

1. 
   wat | Mar 15, 2006 08:13pm | #2

   Er, sorry.

   I was thinking something a bit darker, as it will be matched with a lighter, blonder wood in a modern, craftsman setting.

   Hope that helps.

   wat 

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 15, 2006 11:17pm | #3

   In this case, I would get the darkness I wanted with a analine dye mixed with distilled water, and then seal and add a slight sheen with an oil/varnish mix, such as Watco.  This maintains the modern, casual look of an "in-the-wood" finish that doesn't build up on the surface.  The meranti will drink this up, and you should follow the usual precautions with open pored wood to check every half hour for any bleeding of the finish out of the pores.   

   The other alternative, in my mind, is to go formal with a fully filled finish, starting with the dye, then sealing with shellac, and then filling the pore with pore filler tinted to closely match the color of the dye.  A darker (or lighter) filler would emphasize the grain, which is very coarse will meranti.  Then a top coat, either varnish or shellac could complete the look.  It could be rubbed out to either satin or gloss. 

   The thing I would avoid is a "half-way" finish which uses varnish (wipe-on or brushed) to build a gloss without going all the way to filling the grain.  This is what ends up looking "cheap" in my opinion. 

1. 
   wat | Apr 18, 2006 05:22am | #4

   Thanks for your response. I've taken a bunch of wknds to understand a couple of kernals of finishing. Your initial answer didn't make sense to me, so I couldn't really know what to ask."In this case, I would get the darkness I wanted with a analine dye mixed with distilled water, and then seal and add a slight sheen with an oil/varnish mix, such as Watco.  This maintains the modern, casual look of an "in-the-wood" finish that doesn't build up on the surface.  The meranti will drink this up, and you should follow the usual precautions with open pored wood to check every half hour for any bleeding of the finish out of the pores."Lemme see if I've got this right in approach #1. Stain with analine dye, then seal with Watco. But what should I be looking for (the precautions) when it comes to this open pored wood? Also, once I've applied the Watco (by the way, how many coats do you recommend?), what sorta of final protection layer should I consider? Da books say that danish oil provides for a great appearance, but min protection."The other alternative, in my mind, is to go formal with a fully filled finish, starting with the dye, then sealing with shellac, and then filling the pore with pore filler tinted to closely match the color of the dye.  A darker (or lighter) filler would emphasize the grain, which is very coarse will meranti.  Then a top coat, either varnish or shellac could complete the look.  It could be rubbed out to either satin or gloss."In approach #2: what if I choose not to use pore filler: What kinda result can I expect? What of a pore filler that intentionally doesn't match the dye color (say, a warm cherry dye that heavily red, but a pore filler that is contrasting (darker or lighter). I'm leaning more towards the shellac/varnish option here in approach #2 because I'm looking at meranti as a floating plywood panel inside of t/g rails and stiles for kitchen drawer faces & cabinet doors Or, I'm I mistaken and the watco option from above would offer plenty of protection?"The thing I would avoid is a "half-way" finish which uses varnish (wipe-on or brushed) to build a gloss without going all the way to filling the grain.  This is what ends up looking "cheap" in my opinion. "Thanks again. Otherwise, a couple of other questions:on adding dye to the dewaxed shellac (this month's issue of FWW's Finish Line, tip #1)?Finishing the pieces for the carcase, then assembling them, then applying the topcoat? Or is it better practice to assembleGlazing vs. Pore Filling. I just read Jeff Jewitt's foolproof finishes "warmer walnut" in Finishing and Refinishing Furnture by Best of FWW and was just blown away by the corner cabinet. Are these processes (glazing vs. pore filling) mutually exclusive?Once again, thanks for any insight. This trial and error thing is great, but it requires a lot of time and money, and if I can antcipate some of this ahead of time..,,,

2. 
   ashleyjohn | Jun 24, 2015 05:24am | #6

   Thanks for the info.

2. 
   Adler21 | May 29, 2015 03:47am | #5

   First of all idraw the sketch. Always tried to make what i want and how it can be gain. I always use  red meranti. Because its quality is very good and cost is also less. The other alternative, which i use, is to go formal with a fully filled finish, starting with the dye, then sealing with shellac, and then filling the pore with pore filler tinted to closely match the color of the dye.