"onoahimahi" wrote in news:1111429500.207193.153240
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

....
Any suggestions on how to stain curly maple and have the strong curly
effect come through? Would it help to mix the Transtint with water
instead of the "non-grain-raising" alcohol?

It always looks a little muddy after the dye goes down. You need to add an
oil to bring the figure out after you apply the dye. Then seal with a
topcoat such as shellac.

I have used this recipe several times ... it's based on Jeff Jewitt's
Homestead finishing site:
http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/eamaple.htm

I prefer to go fairly light on the aniline dye.

Here are a couple of examples of pieces:

http://home.earthlink.net/
~nateperkins1/Woodworking/projects/sarahcradle/PB040140.JPG

http://home.earthlink.net/
~nateperkins1/Woodworking/projects/birdseyebox/PB230015.JPG