Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Oct 17, 2009 12:16am | #1

   First, make sure that the mahogany you are adding is a very close match in terms of grain pattern.  That's hard to change. 

   To get the color plan on making a number of samples, from start to finish, on scrap of your new mahogany mahogany. 

   I'd start with a watersoluble powdered dye to get to the basic color range.  Aim for a color a bit lighter than the mahogany you plan to match.  (you will have to put some topcoat on the mahogany to tell more about the finished color.)  Once the dye is right, I'd apply a coat of 2 lb. cut shellac to seal that so subsequent steps to alter the back ground color very much. 

   After the dye you have to assess the grain coloration.  On many older pieces the grain is filled and is darker than the base wood color.  That calls for pore filler, tinted to the approximate color on the original.  (If the pores aren't filled, then use a pigment only stain in the same shade.) 

   With these two color steps you should be pretty close.  Examine carefully in a variety of lights.  If you still need to change the color or the darkness a bit, then you can you lightly tinted shellac (TransTint or similar concentrate) to give you the color shift you need.  Remember, that the coloration of older pieces isn't always very uniform so you need to be able to approximate those differences. 

   Remember in your early steps you can make things darker, but lighter--not. 

1. 
   waterhead | Oct 17, 2009 06:58pm | #2

   AS well as matching grain pattern, try to ensure grain direction is the same for the new wood as the old. Mahogany can have a marked chatoyance that causes it to look darker/lighter depending on which direction you view it from.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Oct 17, 2009 11:08pm | #3

   Absolutely, that's a good point.  If the chatoyance is wrong, nothing will make the match look the same.