I'm working on some wood trim for a 1930's car, Up to now, I've only
had to duplicate
the original on a job like this, but I'm involved with the styling work
on this one. The
project is a Stutz open touring car and the paint is a creamy yellow.
The owner wants
something distinctive but tasteful for the dashboard and door trim. I
like the idea of
tiger maple and want to use a stain with yellow in it, such as golden
oak, but much
darker. The problem is that hard maple accepts this kind of stain much
as a piece
of stainless steel would, there's not much penetration. I was thinking
of tinting the
polyurethane and seeing if each coat would make the sample darker, but
it would be
much better to find a different kind of stain that had better
penetration.

On 20 Jan 2006 05:08:30 -0800, "
wrote:

I'm working on some wood trim for a 1930's car

You might try on a sample or two first, but I've used ordinary
artist's paint for stain . A small squirt from a tube into a glass
jar. Add pure turpentine. Shake, or stir. Apply with a cloth, and
either wipe or leave for a while then wipe. Advantage ...ANY colour
/depth you want, [even mix colours], then varnish [or whatever] over
the top. The solvent need not be turpentine; that's just what I use.

DO experiment first!

" wrote in message
ups.com...

The problem is that hard maple accepts this kind of stain much
as a piece
of stainless steel would, there's not much penetration.

Investigate using a glaze, which does not penetrate the wood. Rather it
sits between a sealcoat and the finish coat.

Alcohol stain (also water based) penetrates very well. If you use it,
work fast in long strokes - one end to the other - to avoid lap marks
or spray it on. Denatured alcohol is a good rubbing fluid to smooth
out any sloppiness in the application (you will be sloppy).

Pete

Good suggestions. I'm thinking I might also try using universal tint
in the resin
side of West System epoxy for the finish. You mix the tint with the
resin then
add the hardener. I know this works with paste epoxy because I've
tried it.

You need a water based stain. I use TransTint (from Woodcraft). Hard maple
will soak it up like a sponge. You can go as dark as you want depending on
the color of stain selected and the concentration of the stain in alcohol or
water.

--
Stoutman
http://home.triad.rr.com/brianmeliss...ing_frames.htm
(Featuring a NEW look)

You need a water based stain.

I drove out to Woodcraft, but they were largely out of stock. At 15
bucks+ per
bottle, I think I'll try to get my customer to narrow down on the
sample choices
before I buy, but it looks like a good way to go. Now all I have to do
is find the
right piece of tiger maple. My mill shop buddies order in the rough
from a big
warehouse where they put special pieces to one side; he'll call over
there and
they'll let me pick from what they've got, if they have anything.

A little bit goes a long way, trust me. I usually put isopropyl alcohol
into a jar for the amount of stain i think I will use, then I add the
TransTint dye stain drop by drop until I reach the color I want (using scrap
wood of course). For me (my projects are generally on the small side) a few
drops go a very long way.

good luck.