Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Nov 12, 2010 04:44am | #1

   I haven't worked on coloring

   I haven't worked much  on coloring fir, so was hoping someone with direct experience would chime in, but since they haven't I'll give it a college try. 

   A coat or two of Amber shellac (thinned to 1 1/2  or 2 lb. cut may give you a look that you would like, and would be fast.  Shellac doesn't change color over time like the other choices, though nothing will stop the natural darkening of the fir.  If you get a perfect match to begin, in a few years the beams would be darker than reclaimed trim.   .

   Using a product tinted with a pigment stain is likely to give you the Zebra look since the contrast in density between earlywood and late wood is very great.  The softer parts, the lighter color in the raw, become darker and the denser parts accept little stain.  This is more true with stains where you apply and wipe off, less of a problem with a tinted finish tht can be applied to the surface.   If you do need more color than you get from the shellac or tinted finish, consider a dye, which wouldn't give you the zebra look. 

   Sea Fin is the name of an entire product line from Daly's, some of which make little sense, since they are described in MSDS documents as oil/varnish mixtures, but have the wrong directions for such formulations, which should tell you to apply and wipe off excess, but don't.  Of course except for the spar varnish the Teak Oil and the Shore Sealer are over 70% thinner so they may be counting on minimal build since there are very few solids.  I must also say I am put off by the bogus information saying that they harden the wood by 15 to20 percent, since oil varnish mixes dry softer than all but the softest of woods.  Watco was forced to desist from such claims by regulators quite a number of years ago. 

   If you want a mix of oil and varnish you are generally better off mixing your own with equal parts of varnish, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits.  Certainly a better choice than pure tung oil, since it would be cheaper, protect more (though ceiling beams don't need much) and will last longer before they dull and need recoating more frequenmtly  to maintain the original look. 

1. 
   OlyMack | Nov 13, 2010 02:35pm | #2

   testing to follow

   thanks Steve.  I have the off-cut of the glu-lam so I'll start with the easiest test and take some pics.

   Zinsser Amber shellac.  If that isn't deep enough I'll get some ruby or garnet flake from:

   http://www.shellacshack.com/colors.html

2. 
   OlyMack | Nov 15, 2010 05:52pm | #3

   1 coat amber along side heart

   I was surprised how orange the amber looks on the freshly sanded fir beam (half of the beam has shellac on it, other half is still raw).  The photo attached has a nice piece of the old stock I'm using (it actually has Sutherland Wells tung oil)  And compared to the Fir, the summer wood has much more of a pink tone.  I'm gonna put the beam in the window for a few days and see if a little darker tone sets in.  Otherwise I'll try some ruby or garnet shellac next, but probably over a coat of clear shellac.