I have completed my test piece, for my current project, using Transtint dye( black) at this point I have put on two coats(ten minutes between coats) and so far, so good. My question is what type of top coat would be preferred…. 1. water base or oil base 2. how long should I wait to put the top coat on.
Note: I used water with the dye. I raised the grain of the piece and sanded before applying the dye. The wood is Alder. My son bought it from an unfinished furniture store (on-line). The piece was nicely milled and sanded.
I’ve never used Alder before, and would consider buying some from a hardwood supplier in the near future when my new shop is completed. (spring)
Thanks for any suggestions…….. Rick Snyder
Replies
Rick,
I've used both water and oil based poly over Trans Tint, I believe either will be just fine. I'd recommend spraying the first coat to lock in the tint; maybe it's my bad technique, but when using a brush, the tint re-wetted (bad English!) and was pushed around by the brush, some areas were lightened a bit as the tint was picked up and moved. Your mileage may vary, of course.
I'm using alder right now for a headboard requested by my parents, matching their alder furniture made by Mako. It cuts like creamy buttah, for sure. However, it took a lot of culling at the lumber yard to find boards that didn't have excessive knots or voids, and even the clear stuff had degrees of surface checks. I was able to work around them, or bought thicker stock and planed it down.
The Mako brand of furniture surprised me, in a good way. Dovetailed drawers (not stapled), and there were no gaps or putty in the DT's for any of the 4 case pieces; the production tolerances were very high and consistent. Not that Ethan Allen is a superior brand, but peruse Ethan Allen furniture and you'll see a lot of warts, especially in any dovetails - gaps, glue slop, etc. Mako seems to build basic furniture quite well, this was a good purchase of factory-made furniture.
Cheers on your success,
Seth
I agree with the above as that has more or less been my experience. The dye sets pretty well quick but you can pull it again, so spraying is my first preference.
I will say transtints have become a love affair, and not just me. It lets anyone who wants to play with colors and do their own tweaking without having to be the paint retailer. Such versatile stuff. How would we ever do without it?
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Rick,
If you use a top coat that has a solvent for transtint in it you will have problems brushing it on. Transtint will be picked up on the brush if you use waterborne finish, shellac, or lacquer. You should be alright if you use an oil-base topcoat. Once you have one coat on it will seal the dye in.
Edit: You can put your top coat on as soon as the dye is dry.
Rob
Edited 1/16/2008 6:41 pm ET by Rob A.
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