On Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at 5:25:37 PM UTC-4, Limey Lurker wrote:
On Sunday, 27 May 2018 02:01:32 UTC+1, Len wrote:
I need to tone a pair of doors. If possible, I would like to match them to another set that will be nearby.

The first set was done with the following schedule.

1. Spray a coat of shellac so the grain will not bleed through.
2. Spray water based dye until I go the color I wanted.
3. Spray a few coats of hydrocote lacquer. (Note, I did not mix
the dye and Hydrocote to make a toner.)
4. Do the usual rub out to get a nice gloss finish.
5. Smile when the praises come my way!

The second set of (very expensive) doors is a harder wood.

1. I sprayed a coat of shellac keep the grain from becoming a
strong feature.
2. I mixed the water based dye with Hydrocote to form a toner.
3. I got a very poor finish that looked like large fisheyes.
4. I stripped the door by applying lacquer thinner in a cloth
over the surface to soften it. Then I used a card scraper to
take the lacquer off.
5. A bit of light sanding and I am back to the original door.


1. I think the problem was that the water based dye thinned the
Hydrocote (Before mixing in the dye it took 38 seconds to empty
the cup) was just too much water.

2. I just tried making a new "batch". The Hydrocote is straight out
of the 5 gallon jug. I put in a little dye.

3. The mix is almost instantly watery. It now takes about 20
seconds to empty the lacquer measuring cup that is filled with
the toner.



Is the problem that I should be putting only a little bit of dye
in the Hydrocote. Will it ever get enough color that way?

Len

So you take your wood and prepare the surface. You then seal the suface with shellac. You then apply a water-based dye! What gives the idea that a water-based dye will will adhere to a shellaced suface? Why don't you apply the dye to the wood, using a water-wash to avoid grain telegraphing, and THEN apply the shellac sealer, which is suitable under any finish.

First off I always would recommend Staining raw wood as a protocall.
I was refering to Len's specific problem, since He already sealed with Shellac, then removed the colored topcoat.
I tried to say that You should remove most of the shellac and light sand but it's not neccesary to deep strip it from the wood's pores.
However this Behlen stuff is pretty amazing how it bonds to a sanded finish and remains even.
Although I have not ever sprayed it or brushed it.
I merely scrub it in with a rag to an even tone , let it dry and topcoat.
You may even seal it with a thin spray flash coat of shellac, before topcoat.