I need some advice. On a big hutch that I am building. I have found the correct color that I want using an WS (water soluble) aniline dye. This looks great on red oak hardwood. The problem is now that stain is not taking to the red oak plywood veneer like it is to the hardwood. What should I do to fix this issue. Would using an AS or OS correct this issue?
I went to a retail store and had them color match a stain, while this has the right tint of color I am looking for, it is not giving me the darkness nor the depth I am trying to achieve.
I also have found after my dye is applied to hardwood, I like the look that applying a dark oil based wood grain filler then sealing with shellac gives me the right depth. Any advice would be appreciated.
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If I understand this right, the dye gives the right color and shade on the hardwood, but is the right color but is too light on the plywood. If this is right, then you can achieve a darker color on the ply by mixing the dye with a stronger concentration. Water based dye can be mixed at virtually any strength. It make take some tricky masking to keep the more concentrated dye of of the hardwood.
I like the darker pigment to accentuate the grain and add depth over dyed oak. However, oak pores are so hard that it is difficult to get a full pore filled surface. You can get the same color effect by using pigment only oil based stain. This can be applied directly over the dye, or the dye can be partially sealed with a coat of 1 lb. cut of dewaxed shellac. (If the wood has been sealed technically the stain would be a glaze.) I would mix my own stain in this context by tinting a mix of BLO and Varnish, thinned with mineral spirits to a good working consistency. The BLO slows the cure, extending working time, while the varnish gives a better binder than just oil. Your project sounds pretty large so I would use relatively more BLO than varnish.
Actually when using the ws dye. On the hardwood is perfect. On the veneer if it does soak up any of the water it is a completely different color and a different shade.The other was from the store, using a mixed minwax, to try and get an oil based stain to work. It was the right shade as the ws, but way too light and no depth.
Thanks for the help, I'll try making it stronger to put on the veneer.
With a dye, you are not limited to one coat. There is no binder so if the color is too red, you can shift the color with a second coat of dye. Too red--use a very dilute dye with a green tone. Two yellow--purple is the complement at would "tone down" the yellow. Lots of experimentation called for here. At least with dyes, it you screw it up too badly, a couple of applications of chlorine laundry bleach will remove dye before it has been sealed.
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