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After working many many hours on a triple dresser for my daughter, I inadvertantly sanded through the ply on the top.
What I have is cherry plywood, with polyurethane finish and a small spot app. the size of a dime showing the yellow inner plywood.
I tried mixing stains to darken it without much success.
Does anybody know of a method to darken it to the cherry finish without having to throw the whole thing out and starting over. I guess I am looking for something that will really stain, or perhaps a repair kit of some kind.
Thanks,
Stevo
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Browse the bookstore, lots of GOOD books by FW contributing editors regarding finishing and repairing dings. Don't build any more triple dressers out of plywood.
*Steve, Could you rout out the spot and cover it with a decorative inlay? Or, have a trophy shop make a brass plate with your name, daughter's name, date on it and use it to cover the spot. Just a couple of thoughts. GP
*SteveYou could burn in a repair with shellac sticks, or go to an art supply store and buy 3 or 4 markers that are about the same color as the cherry. Assuming that you don't want to try either of those, it will be extremely difficult to match the color using stain by itself. Here are some thoughts:1) Seal the spot with 2 lb cut of shellac which is a good first step no matter which method you opt for(iF using from a can about 1 part shellac to 1 part alcohol). The reason for this is A) if the stain/color doesn't match you can wipe it off without it having penetrated the plywood. If it does match, just apply finish. B) It will help adhesion, regardless of the method or finish used. 2) You might want to try a dye instead of a stain. Remember though, if it's an alcohol dye it will dissolve the shellac...better to stay with water base.3) Don't try to get the color by using a single application of stain or dye. Look deep into the cherry for the lightest color. Apply that first. Seal with shellac. Then add the darker shade(s). This will not only be more accurate, but it provides "depth" to the color.4) If you follow # 1 and the first part of #3, perform the second part of #3 by making a toner. That's simply mixing the lighter color with a little bit of whatever finish you'll be using. Apply a little, let it thoroughly dry, and evaluate. If it's fine, finish it. If it's not dark enough apply a couple more coats of toner (as a last resort, add more color to the toner...remember it's easier to darken than lighten, so use color sparingly).Contact me if you have any questions ([email protected]). Good LuckBob
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