Replies

1. 
   nikkiwood | Apr 23, 2005 07:25pm | #1

   Wood conditioner.

   Or -- you can use a dewaxed shellac (e.g. Zinsser Seal Coat).

   "I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
   -- Bertrand Russell

1. 
   Yogi | Apr 23, 2005 07:34pm | #3

   Thank you muchly-

2. 
   jazzdogg | Apr 23, 2005 07:33pm | #2

   "What do you call the stuff applied to soft woods that prevents stain from blotching?"

   Dave,

   What I discovered is that pre-stain conditioners penetrate the wood just as unevenly as stains do because of irregularities in the density of woods like pine and maple.

   I get the best results when I apply pre-stain conditioners while watching for irregular absorbtion: I keep reapplying pre-stain conditioner until the surface of the wood appears to have absorbed it more-or-less uniformly; only then do I apply stain.

   I hope this helps,

    

   -Jazzdogg-

   Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

3. 
   forestgirl | Apr 23, 2005 08:17pm | #4

   As suggested by Nikkiwood, Zinnser's product, or if you don't need dewaxed shellac, you can make up your own washcoat (the other term) of 1# shellac.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

4. 
   Paul_Snyder | Apr 23, 2005 09:04pm | #5

   Hi Dave,

   Using with a non-penetrating stain will help control blotching a lot. Thick gel stains like Bartley and WoodKote do a good job on porous woods like pine. But there may still be more blotching than you like.

   You can either use a stain controller or washcoat before applying the stain to reduce the blotching even more... though the stain color will be lighter than normal with either of these options. I usually use a washcoat myself; it does a good job overall and is especially handy on end grain (ends of boards and on raised panel doors). I have a description of how to make a washcoat at this link - Making a Washcoat.

   Paul S
   Website

1. 
   nikkiwood | Apr 25, 2005 08:05am | #6

   Paul Snyder is right about the gel stains. They are really the only way to go with splotchy prone woods. However, while the darker colors are very pleasing, the lighter colors (to my eye at least), never quite make it. In that case, I will either use the wood conditioner or a dewaxed shellac, and use a regular penetrating oil stain (like Minwax)."I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
   -- Bertrand Russell