Replies

1. 
   Tom7 | Dec 12, 2009 03:21am | #1

   I stain maple all the time.  It is a bit tricky to do to eliminate blotching.  My sequence is a follows:

   Sand to 150 grit with random orbit sander on flat surfaces, no finer.

   Sand to 400 grit on end grain to eliminate dark patches on end grain.

   Rag on a 1.0 lb. cut of dark shellac then sand with 320 grit to eliminate any grain raising.  The dark shellac does a great job of accentunating any birds eye or tiger stripes.  It also prevents blotching.

   Rag on Behlens Van Dyke Brown Shading and Glazing Stain or any Barkleys gel stain of your choice.  Allow to dry overnight.

   Spray a very light coat of 1.0 cut clear shellac to seal in the glaze.  Add another coat of glaze to adjust the color as needed.  Dry overnight and seal with a light coat of 1.0 lb. cut clear shellac.  The sealer must be sprayed as a brushed or hand applied sealer will lift the glaze and cause a mess.

   Finish with varnish, lacquer or your choice of finish.  The results are wonderful with no blotching and very uniform color.

2. 
   YesMaam27577 | Dec 12, 2009 03:23am | #2

   This will send you for a bit of a loop.......

   Transtint dyes work wonders for maple. They have a "colonial maple" dye that is quite beautiful. It makes the wood look like it's been pantinating for a hundred years or so.

   The trick with transtints on maple, is that you need to lightly sand the piece after the dye has been sprayed on. (spraying can be as simple as a spritz bottle, and light sanding means like 220 or 320, and very light.) After the light sanding, apply whatever clearcoat you want, to give it the protection and sheen you want.

   You're likely to post pics here, it will be so beautiful.

   I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone,
   And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone;
   I can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone,
   So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. (Phil Ochs)

3. 
   Hastings | Dec 12, 2009 05:34pm | #3

   riden:

   I am building a kitchen of maple and I am using transtint dyes. They are easy to apply, make for a nice even finish and you don't lose the underlying character of the wood.

   Hastings

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 12, 2009 05:59pm | #4

   Dye is a good place to start with woods like Maple.  But, I recommend going with a powdered water soluble dye, such as TransFast or the Lockwood dyes instead of TransTint.  TransTint is a great product for mixing with finishes to create a dye toner, BUT, when used as a dye, it's ability to dissolve in a wide variety of solvents can come back to bite you.  That's because just about any top coat you would put over it would have solvents that can dissolve the dye, causing it to lift or smear.  This is greatly reduced if the dye is only fully soluble in water. 

   It's not as big a problem if you are spraying top coats, since you can spray dry coats without mechanically disturbing the dye, but if you brush or pad on top coats then the risk bigger. 

   Dye mixed in water is generally the easiest to apply.  Mixed in faster drying solvents you need to spray, and need to be quite capable in doing it.  But with water mixed dye, you can essentially saturate the surface (I use a sponge) and let the concentration of the dye mix determine the shade of the color.    

1. 
   Hastings | Dec 12, 2009 08:01pm | #5

   Steve:Thank you for the warning. In fact, I miss-typed; it is the powdered, water-soluble dyes that I have used.Hastings