Staining and finishing wood :
Does anyone has a practical guide for this ?
I just build a very simple chest with pine, I want to stain it but I have no clue where to start. I would like to get it a nice "character" so the veins pop out with some deep dark color.
Is there a guide for staining?
https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en#hl=en&q=how+to+stain+wood
There's not much to it, OP
>>900701
i recommend using some spare wood leftover from the project and trying different things and seeing what you like. the process itself isn't exactly difficult.
1) sand the wood to a certain grit. (the finer the grit, the less stain gets soaked up, but the more you can see the fine grain features.)
2) wipe the project down with a scotch bright pad to pick up any dust. (more important for final coats of clear coat, epoxy, etc...) Or just use a rag.
3) get some stain on a rag. Wipe it on the piece. Try to get the whole thing covered in a reasonably short time, so you don't end up overlapping an area that's more or less dry.
4) wait XX time. (entirely up to you, the longer you wait, the more time the color has to soak in/the darker it will be).
5) wipe off all the stain that will come off with a clean rag.
6) repeat if desired for a darker color.
7) clear coat.
>>900701
The issue with pine is the soft wood that grows in the spring will absorb more stain then the harder wood that grows in the winter,
So you get streaking and blotches of noticeable lighter and darker aress that are more pronounced then say oak or walnut,
To get a more even stain pre treat the wood with a wood conditioner. This will help seal the wood and allow for an even stain
I like a gel stain mixed with a wood pore filler/ grain filler. This combination will help produce a smooth appearance,
But sand well befor you stain.
Is there any way to remove the yellow paint from this forestock withou thaving to strip the whole finish?
Because I'll be damned if I could probably replace the colour, which means i would ahve to strip the whole thing.
>>901595
You might could just refinish that spot.
It would look good from far away. That's all that matters right?
>>901595
Assuming the paint is on top of the existing varnish, you could possibly, POSSIBLY, take a razor blade and very, VERY, carefully scrape it off; I mean with an absolute feather touch, over the course of an hour.
If it goes well and you don't get into the stain, maybe hit it with 600 paper/000 steel wool to blend, again VERY LIGHTLY. Use tru oil (I like Varathane floor finish, just a little thinner than tru oil) to touch up only the varnish. May look okay if you have the finishing skills.
If it doesn't go well, strip it all and refinish and cuss that idiot on 4chan that said "take a razor blade and..."
Good luck.
>>900704
Wrong.
>>901661
Are you the same Anon that's always telling people to put floor lacquer on everything?
>>901664
Nope, that was my first post ever. I use floor finish on stocks because I'm cheap I guess, and on floors because, well...
>>901595
If the paint is above the clear coat, I would attempt to remove it with thinner or spirits. Redoing some clear is going to be much simpler than matching the stain color.
>>901765
So, just so clear coat on the spot now?
>>901766
Get some satin deft
Spray the area, once it's dry use oooo steel wool and try to plead the finish,
Repeat as necessary.
>>900721
>>900706
I did exactly what you told me on a piece of scrap, I am quite happy with the result but I have read that the pine keeps soaking the stain for weeks and eventually ends up looking horrible. What do ?
Regarding the varnish, not quite sure about it... maybe because I used mate varnish, maybe I should have gone with some satin to make the wood "pop" more ? Would more layer help ?
Use a coat of dewaxed shellac as the base coat, sand it back lightly by hand with some 320 and stain over that. It'll help the blotchiness and itll help the stain from soaking too deep giving you different colors.
hey, novice woodworker here.
me and a friend built a tabe a few weeks ago. and i was experimenting with stains as well.
today i rounded off and sanded a piece of 2x2 and slathered it with my steelwool and vinegar stain, that has been sitting for weeks and weeks.
I'm very happy with this. i need to make a bigger batch to have enough for the whole table.
>>903716
>vinegar stain
Dafuq?
>steel wool
When will this meme end?
I've been working in cabinet shops my whole life and I've never seen anybody use steel wool to sand wood.
That's just internet crap. Anybody that knows what they're doing will look at you like you're a moron.
Always use sandpaper. Something in the 100-220 grit range. If anybody ever tells you to use 400 grit sandpaper: look at them like they're a moron.
>>903842
you misunderstand.
i didn't sand with steel wool, i sanded with sandpaper. 60,120 and 240.
steelwool and vinegar is the stain. google it.
>>903842
I think he's talking about a stain made by soaking steel wool in vinegar. Also, whether you use steel wool to knock down a finish or sandpaper, as well as what grit you end with when prepping a wooden surface, depends on the application. However, if cabinets, tables, chairs etc. are what you're working on, I wholeheartedly agree with you on the grit choice. Sanding can get boring!
>>903862
>a stain made by soaking steel wool in vinegar
>>903923
FFS, YES!
google it.
>>900701
Dont listen to these faggots. Pine stains like complete shit. If you must make it look darker and you want the veins to really stand out, planing, sanding with 1000 grit lightly and using shellac to finish it is the way to go. Pine goes cloudy as fuck.
>>901858
Sand your timber down to at least 320 grit. This is why your knots turned to a pile of black shit.
>>903923
Nitric acid, with various additives, has been used for hundreds of years as a stain, why not vinegar? Not saying I'd use it, my guess is it'll keep getting darker with age. I've heard of using nothing more than than a strong source of heat, as basically a big assed wood burner, to "stain" wood. I think it's called suigi? Yeah I know, don't believe everything you hear, but people are crazy when it comes to finishes for wood.
>>903842
>>903862
>>903923
Steel wool vinegar soultion is used to simulate bog-oak, it doesn't actually stain the wood, the colour change is due to a reaction with the tannins in the wood, that's why oak goes black, many tannins.
>>903842
>doesn't get steel wool
>mfw
>you'll understand when you try turning
Either that or your standards of finish quality are low.
>>903842
I've used steel wool to "sand" wood for years. The metal ribbons cut the wood, instead of tearing it like sandpaper, so you get a much finer finish then sandpaper ever could.
Just have to be careful not to leave metal dust in the wood or it can rust later.
>>903995
Do you start with sandpaper then use it after you raise the grain, as a "final prep" so to speak? If so, at what grit do you stop using paper? Not completely sold on using steel wool, because of the rust that you mentioned, but willing to give it a shot if it means I get a better finish faster than using all paper.
