On Mar 14, 6:09*pm, "BobS" wrote:

As others have stated, hard maple doesn't take stain that well and dyes
or gel's would yield better results.

Let me offer an alternative, low cost solution. *

*SNIP* of good work

Bob S.

Very interesting technique. Thanks for taking the time and making the
effort to post all that great information.

I like your idea, too. Since stained "anything" doesn't look like the
real McCoy, it is professional suicide to try. I won't stand and make
excuses to the client as to why the two surfaces don't match. I am on
the same page of thinking, as I don't try to match a color or finish
unless I think I can. (BTW, maple will NEVER look like walnut. At the
end of the process, it will look brown, black, or brown/black, but
never like walnut.)

So I either try to complement the piece I am trying to match, or to
contrast it completely. When the surfaces don't match correctly, they
automatically tell folks looking at your work something incorrect has
happened.

That might be a perfect job to put a very dark brick red cherry dye on
and see how they like that.

Good post.

Robert