Replies

1. 
   mike4244 | Oct 23, 2003 10:18pm | #1

   I would sand the legs down and just use shellac. Not knowing exactly what the finish you put on looks like ,you probably can tone the shellac with an alcohol based dye mixed in the shellac. I am not an expert on finishing, you would do yourself a favor by searching for wood finishing forums on the web.

   mike

2. 
   GeeSeaWhy | Oct 23, 2003 10:54pm | #2

   "Frustrating, but I am learning a bit about dyes and staining troublesome woods." Staining turned pine would certainly be in the advanced class. In addition to the usual problems with pine, the turning has exposed more areas of end grain and transitions from face to end grain. Sand it down, seal it thoroughly and try again. As Mike suggests, you could add dye stain to the shellac, but I would put at least two sealer coats on first.

   Good luck,

   Graeme

1. 
   GForcier | Oct 24, 2003 04:22am | #3

   OK; I've sanded the legs back past the stain and reapplied shellac, this time, thinner and applied with a rag and paying close attention to trying to get an even coat. I'll let it dry overnight to be on the safet side and try applying stain tomorrow and see if the splotches and light zones have gone away. Stay tuned.

   thanks for the reassuring advice.

   gaf

1. 
   DonStephan | Oct 24, 2003 05:40am | #4

   If my understanding is correct, the uneven staining is due to different areas of the wood absorbing different amounts of liquid. A light coat of shellac may simply reduce by a constant percentage the amount of liquid absorbed by different areas of the wood, allowing uneven staining again, although somewhat lighter. That is probably why some of the previous posts suggested a thorough sealing with shellac.

   Another option would be to spray the stain. If done carefully, all parts of the wood receive the same amount of liquid, and hence the same amount of stain. When the stain is spread with a rag or brush, the wood has the opportunity to absorb as much liquid as it wants, and the uneven stain results.

   A third option would be to liberally wet all parts of the wood with clean clear water. Different parts of the wood would absorb different amounts of water, but since there is no stain all parts of the wood would look the same. Then brush or rag on the stain, and all parts of the wood are more likely to take up the same amount of stain. The drawback, and it is a BIG one with pine, is that the wood sometimes swells up in spots, and stays swollen after drying out. I had to refinish a white pine desk top this week because it swelled out in places, just from a couple very light coats of stain, a couple light initial coats of finish (to seal), and three wet coats of finish. Noticeably uneven a week later, even with low sheen finish.

   Try your ENTIRE finishing sequence on test piece(s) first.

   Don

3. 
   Crunk | Oct 25, 2003 07:10pm | #5

   Pine is a wood that begs to be finished with a petroleum based stain (if you insist on staining), which is contrary to the normal 'rule' that water-based aniline dyes are best. 

   When staining Pine, I dip a cotton cloth in the stain and apply it in several thin, meticulous coats.  This avoids blotch and seems to preserve grain clarity as the job does not consist of a couple of flood coats of stain.  Wring the stain out of the cloth until it's just damp with stain and work it on by rubbing vigorously.

   Hard work, but you will be rewarded.  Any petroleum based stain will work - Minwax products are fine.

   FWIW, you can usually get the look you're after without staining - you can simple use a linseed oil based finish or one of the grades of shellac. 

   
   

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   Edited 10/26/2003 4:25:49 PM ET by BossCrunk