Replies

1. 
   saschafer | Jan 05, 2008 05:56am | #1

   Have you tried to see what it looks like after the final finish is applied? It might make a big difference.

   As always, try the finish on a test piece first!

   -Steve

    

2. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 05, 2008 07:47am | #2

   When I use analine dyes, I brush it on the surface evenly, leaving a beautiful, vibrant, glossy surface.  But when it dries, it looks flat out bland.  The top coat, whether it be lacquer, polyurethane, shellac or oil (and so on), the beautiful colours are restored.

   Chris @ flairwoodworks

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

3. 
   SgianDubh | Jan 05, 2008 04:59pm | #3

   It depends what kind of polish you are applying over the top whether or not you'll need to start again.

   If you're applying shellac you will probably be able to add a little dissolved spirit based black dye to the following coats to get the blackness back. A teaspoonful or two per half pint of polish makes a big difference and really puts the black into the end result.

   If you're spraying something like pre-cat lacquer then your choices now are restricted. You can tint this type of lacquer the same way and spray the two coats normally needed to achieve a good finish. There's a limit to how many coats you can apply. Your dry film of the completed finish shouldn't exceed 5 mils (5/1000 of an inch.) to avoid cracking.

   With two coats already applied, and assuming you've applied them as they should be at about 4-5 mils wet, then you're probably getting very close to the safe dry film limit. You could try one final coat with a little concentrated compatible dye in the finish.

   If that doesn't work then you might be best to strip all the polish with a chemical stripper and start polishing again. A chemical stripper shouldn't strip out the base black dye colour, but it might reduce it somewhat, so you might also need to build up your base colour again. Slainte.

   Richard Jones Furniture

1. 
   Woodberger | Jan 06, 2008 02:49am | #4

   Thank you for replying . I am using a slow drying Varnish/Polyurethane blended finish. The first two coats that I put on soaked in so much into the maple that it feels like there is no finish there.So I am going to find some solvent based pigment to mix with the finish to make a toner.

   P.S. I am new in the water based stains / dyes is this normal for the color to look week when you use a solvent based finish over top.

   Thank You

   Woodberger

1. 
   SgianDubh | Jan 06, 2008 06:08pm | #5

   I wouldn't say it's my experience for water based dyes to look "weak" as you describe it prior to applying polish over the top. Their tone, shade and intensity does change as you apply a finish over the top. All clear finishes change the colour of the base somewhat. This is often more apparent with black than other colours, again in my experience, hence my normal routine is to add some concentrated black to the top coat or coats. If you're going to add some concentrated black, a teaspoon or two to a pint, make sure the solvent base is compatible with the finish.

   I'm not sure what you mean by a varnish polyurethane blended finish. Are you mixing something like an oil based alkyd varnish with a polyurethane varnish? I'm not sure why your first two coats of this mysterious varnish/polyurethane blend were absorbed into the wood so much and didn't really start building up a film. I can only think off the top of my head that it's a very thin mix, ie, you've added a lot of the diluent/solvent, eg, white or mineral spirits. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture