Replies

1. 
   3fingers | Jan 01, 2005 02:29am | #1

   The best way I have found to highlight the figure.

   Mix Trans tint vintage maple or honey maple with alcohol

   then use boiled linseed oil soak the whole surface rub it in even with your hands if you want.

   Then let dry for 2-3 days and finish with 3-4 coats of lacquer or blonde shellac

   the grain will really pop

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   Edited 12/31/2004 6:44 pm ET by 3fingers

   
   

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   Edited 12/31/2004 6:45 pm ET by 3fingers

   
1. 
   3fingers | Jan 01, 2005 02:46am | #2

   heres a picture

   
2. 
   garyb | Jan 01, 2005 03:10am | #3

   Hi 3fingers- thanks for your reply... need a bit more detail here if you would please... 1). where do I get the Trans Tint Vintage Maple/Honey maple alcohol dye? Is the "darkness value" determined by coats or mix of alcohol? I suppose this is done via sample tests. 2). Can the linseed oil be applied by soft cotton rag w/ gloves and is sanding neccessary and is the excess wiped off prior to drying (since I have a cabinet shop and dust is a factor.) between that and lacquer ( Pre-cat. type)? The lacq. finish process I know quite well. I'm "dusty" on the oil application process area.

   GaryB

1. 
   3fingers | Jan 01, 2005 07:18am | #5

   1). where do I get the Trans Tint Vintage Maple/Honey maple alcohol dye? 

   Homesteadfinishing.com or woodcraft store

   the darkness of the dye depends on the drops added to vol of alcohol.

   2). Can the linseed oil be applied by soft cotton rag w/ gloves and is sanding neccessary and is the excess wiped off prior to drying

   linseed oil can be applied with paper towel or rag or bare hand.  But gloves are good.   wipe off excess.  after rubbing the oil in to the wood.

   you can sand if you want to but only 220,320 or 400 or 0000 steel wool. which ever you end sanding the bare wood with.

   Oil is very easy to apply

    

2. 
   RMillard | Jan 01, 2005 05:13am | #4

   GaryB

   I dislike alcohol dyes, because I find them somewhat difficult to deal with and the NGR dyes make me deathly sick even if I use a mask, so I can't help you with them. I like to finish figured maple in either of the following two ways. Apply Moser's honey amber maple aniline dye in a stronger than normal concentration, then sand. This sanding will remove all or most of the dye other than what was absorbed by the curl. Then apply the same dye only this is cut in about half with water. The other is to apply a fairly dark brown dye ( I use homemade walnut husk dye) and then sand this as above and apply some Trans Tint Dark Vintage Maple dye. The first method results in a lighter tone, while the other comes out somewhat darker and to my eye better, with more contrast to the curl. After either route, I apply two-four coats of boiled linseed oil with a small amount of Japan drier added. I apply this oil hot, carefully heating it on a hot plate in a well ventilated area. The first coat will be soaked up pretty quickly in some areas, so reapply as necessary. After the oil as soaked in for maybe half hour, wipe the piece completely dry, as any oil left on the surface will gel and make kind of a mess. I wait a day or more between applications. After this has cured for a few days, I brush on two thin coats of de-waxed dark shellac and follow with super blond. It is the oil that is the key to it looking good. Also, depending on the project, I like to put on a glaze of a thin brown gel stain, after the first coat of shellac, this gives a little age and depth to the finish. I have attached two photos showing pieces finished this way. The pair of tables are finished with a darker method, while the bureau was done with the other method. Neither has the glaze, but I think the bureau would have looked better if I had used it. You say that you get radical color variations in the grain, unless I'm misunderstanding this, that is what one would expect and want with grain as wild as curly maple.

   Rob Millard

   
1. 
   garyb | Jan 01, 2005 10:47pm | #7

   Rob- Really appreciate your input- you do nice work. the alcohol dyes I was refering to was not NGR (I agree, that stain is miserable to work with and I've found you have to add it to clear Lacq. and mist / fog it on for a reasonable appearance--- you still do not come up with a hand stained quality finish.) but the aniline dyes as you mentioned further on. I understand that there are water based and alcohol based dyes...wouldn't the water based raise the grain? The alcohol base seems to make more sense- less sanding and drying time is greatly shortened. (I get alittle impatient on the finishing end of projects.) To get a slightly lighter finish than what you have on your chest photo I assuming that the mixture is slightly less than what you describle? Your thoughts / experience is appreciated. Thanks again.

   Gary Lillmars

1. 
   RMillard | Jan 02, 2005 04:35am | #11

   GaryBThe water based dyes do raise the grain, but despite my near phobia of sanding, I've not thought of it as a big problem. Since I hand plane nearly every surface, the grain doesn't raise all that much. Also, since the way to get the grain to show up, is to use a two step dye process, you have to sand after the first coat of dye anyway, which will take care of the raised grain. I too am impatient, but the water dye dries fairly quickly, in fact the two small tables in the photo had both applications of dye and one coat of oil applied in one day ( admittedly the day started at 6:00 am and ended at 10:00 pm.)I certainly think you could weaken the dye and get a lighter color. Since you want a light color, you may want to try a method I read about in the 2003 Society of American Period Furniture Makers Journal. In the article by Ron Patton, he applied a 50/50 mixture of de-waxed garnet and orange shellac. He applied enough coats to get the grain to have the shimmer effect that is so appealing. While the photos in the article were in black and white, the result is a light color and was very pleasing. Thanks for the comment on the pieces in the photos. Please post a photo of your finished piece.
   Rob Millard

2. 
   mrbird90 | Jan 01, 2005 11:00pm | #8

   I have been using stains for many years and have never heard of NGR stains, just what are they and how are they applied etc???? Where would you purchase them???

1. 
   RMillard | Jan 02, 2005 04:54am | #12

   Mel,NGR dyes stands for Non Grain Raising. If I'm correct they are made from an aniline dye mixed in a methanol base ( they come already mixed). They are very fade resistant and come in quite a few colors. They dry very quickly which makes hand application difficult, so it is best to spray them. I believe they are only made by Behlen and maybe Constantine's. I use to use them as a yellow undertone on mahogany, and I also finished a Goddard Townsend lowboy with them. They worked great for the undertone, but I was less than thrilled with the lowboy finish. The color seemed flat compared to the water dyes.
   Rob Millard

3. 
   DavidxDoud | Jan 01, 2005 11:21pm | #9

   thanks for your input here and also the pictures you post in the gallery - they are inspiring...

   I would ask that you expand on your 'homemade walnut husk' stain - method of manufacture and storing -

   regards -

    "there's enough for everyone"

1. 
   RMillard | Jan 02, 2005 05:13am | #13

   David,The walnut husk dye recipe came from an article by the late Jon Arno. The hulls are soaked in ammonia for a week or so and the resulting ( stinking) mixture is strained, leaving an inky dark brown dye. I made about 5 gallons of this stuff in 1998 and I stored it in 2 liter bottles, and it has held up well. Oddly the ammonia smell gave way to an equally obnoxious odor that is difficult to describe, but is unforgettable. Liberon, Garrett Wade and Woodworkers Supply, sell walnut crystals, which are somewhat like instant coffee crystals, and these eliminate all the work, involved in gathering and soaking the hulls. I don't see any reason why any dark brown aniline dye wouldn't do everything the walnut husks do, but it is kind of fun to make your own dye.
   Rob Millard

1. 
   DavidxDoud | Jan 02, 2005 05:45am | #14

   ... but it is kind of fun to make your own dye.

   Indeed - soaking walnut hulls in ammonia = fun...only for a certain subset of humans - - but I think I'll give it a try next fall - there's a walnut tree by the barn that is usually prolific - this gives me a reason to spare it again -

   thanks...

    "there's enough for everyone"

1. 
   DP | Jan 02, 2005 08:33pm | #15

   I also use the walnut husk dye and think it gives a color that can't be duplicated by any synthetic.  For those who don't have access to their own supply of walnut husks, they can be bought from Kremer Pigments (800-995-5501).  "Classic Finishing Techniques" by Sam Allen (Sterling Press) has a recipe for making up a batch along with directions for making several other old time stains.  

   I recall reading somewhere that walnut crystals don't make exactly the same dye as you get from the husks.  I've never tried them so don't know if that's true.

4. 
   Rich14 | Jan 02, 2005 01:14am | #10

   Rob,That is really nice work.Did you rub out the shellac?Rich

5. 
   user-627975 | Apr 17, 2013 11:51am | #17

   FIGURED MAPLE FIINISH

   Hi Rob,

   I realize this is a bit after the fact ( like 7 years ).  However I was looking through the internet for finishing figured maple.  I have some quilted maple i am making a table top with and wanted to get it right on a tester prior to doing the table.

   So, if i understand you correctly on your method:

   1)   you use a dark dye ( i will not be making my own walnut husk dye, sorry ),

   2) sand that back until only the part that has soaked in the dye remains

   3) apply Trans Tint Dark Vintage Maple ( in solution percentage listed on label )

   4) add 2 - 4 coats of " warm to hot " BLO with a little Japan Drier added ( with several days drying in between each coat )

   5) Brush on a thin coat of dewaxed dark shellac ( garnet or orange from flakes ok here ? )

   6) Wait a day

   7)  Brush on a thin coat of brown gel stain ( any particular color ? )

   8) Brush on a thin coat of super blonde shellac ( from flakes ? )

   Any advice in addition to this or corrections would be greatly appreciated.

   Thanks - Gary Carlberg  

3. 
   TomBrown10 | Jan 01, 2005 10:12am | #6

   View Image			View Image
   View Image	View Image	View Image View Image Fine Woodworking - March/April 1999 - #135 Contents from this issue: Articles View Image Page POP THE CURL IN CURLY MAPLE by Jeff Jewitt Woodworkers choose this species for its stunning figure. Here's how to bring out the best in this wood. 38 - Light or dark, how do you want your curl? 41

4. 
   Jimma | Jan 02, 2005 10:31pm | #16

   Guess I'll offer yet another method, one that's not too different from some above. I popped the grain on some figured maple by starting with a test solution which I mixed up to find a color that would be compatible with lacquered walnut: 5 drops of TransTint medium walnut plus two drops of TransTint honey amber mixed in 2 ounces of Behlen Super Blond (dewaxed) shellac (which is in an alcohol solvent). This was about the fifth test mix I made before reaching a good color without obscuring the figure in the maple. The Behlen shellac is listed as a three-pound cut. I would not hesitate using this on pieces that could be covered in one application, but I'd hesitate doing anything really wide since the shellac dries so quickly and is hard to keep a wet edge. Grain pops nicely, though. The key was to make a number of tests before deciding. Good luck!