Hello. I'm refinishing a piece to act as a TV stand in the livingroom.
It's a mid centuryish looking piece, Danish modern lines, veneer,
darker wood that I'm guessing is black walnut based on some grayer
tones that showed up when I carefully sanded it.

Okay, not being an experienced woodworker of any sort, I have to rely
on researching the heck out of things before I do them. On this
question I came up without much help. My first thought going in was
that I would sand the piece, get light wood and just poly it so it
would match my blonde kidney shaped coffee table. Oops. The wood had
different characteristics. Hmmmm. Next step was to experiment with
different wood bleaching techniques using an inner shelf that wouldn't
matter if it was ruined. I got a varying shades of light gray veneered
shelf (I sectioned off the shelf for the various techniques). Not the
desired result at all.

My final idea to get something close to what I'd like is this: A coat
of clear polyurethane, let it dry, fine sanding, followed by a mixture
of pickling stain, a drop or two of red stain (to get the slight warmth
in blonde wood), and clear polyurethane to retain the transparency
necessary to let the grain show through. Keeping in mind that I'm
aware of the need to use all like products (meaning all oil-based in
this case) has anyone got any technical reasons this is a no-go before
I move on?

One final thing. Some might wonder why I don't mix the stains THEN
poly, like normal people do. :-) Tried that already, and what happens
is the pickling stain pigment settles in the pores of the wood like
chalk. Very unattractive. I'm starting with an initial coat of poly
in order to seal the pores up.

Carmen

wrote:

My final idea to get something close to what I'd like is this: A coat
of clear polyurethane, let it dry, fine sanding, followed by a mixture
of pickling stain, a drop or two of red stain (to get the slight warmth
in blonde wood), and clear polyurethane to retain the transparency
necessary to let the grain show through. Keeping in mind that I'm
aware of the need to use all like products (meaning all oil-based in
this case) has anyone got any technical reasons this is a no-go before
I move on?


Replace the first coat of polyurethane with Zinnser Seal Coat, tested on
scrap, a you'd be on your way to your first multi-dimensional finish!
G Seal Coat is a universal sealer that will ensure a good bond
between layers. There is a remote chance that your stain (kind of a
"toner" when used in your example), and the next top coat may not
properly bond to the first coat of polyurethane.

One final thing. Some might wonder why I don't mix the stains THEN
poly, like normal people do. :-)

Normal people do, but many pros don't.

Many many gorgeous finishes are created one layer at a time. You've
stumbled on some well-known advanced techniques. Congratulations for
experimenting! I'll bet you'll get the exact look you seek.

B A R R Y wrote:
wrote:

My final idea to get something close to what I'd like is this: A coat
of clear polyurethane, let it dry, fine sanding, followed by a mixture
of pickling stain, a drop or two of red stain (to get the slight warmth
in blonde wood), and clear polyurethane to retain the transparency
necessary to let the grain show through. Keeping in mind that I'm
aware of the need to use all like products (meaning all oil-based in
this case) has anyone got any technical reasons this is a no-go before
I move on?


Replace the first coat of polyurethane with Zinnser Seal Coat, tested on
scrap, a you'd be on your way to your first multi-dimensional finish!
G Seal Coat is a universal sealer that will ensure a good bond
between layers. There is a remote chance that your stain (kind of a
"toner" when used in your example), and the next top coat may not
properly bond to the first coat of polyurethane.

One final thing. Some might wonder why I don't mix the stains THEN
poly, like normal people do. :-)

Normal people do, but many pros don't.

Many many gorgeous finishes are created one layer at a time. You've
stumbled on some well-known advanced techniques. Congratulations for
experimenting! I'll bet you'll get the exact look you seek.

Well, the experiment has been done now, and the result is pretty. It
isn't quite what I was going for, but it *is* something I'll use in the
future. It's probably best to do with a spray apparatus. The pigment
from the pickling stain likes to "settle" (don't know if there's a
specific word for that behavior in this context) at the edge of brush
strokes, so it gets extra fussy.
I really appreciate your help Barry. Thank you. :-)

Carmen

Carmen wrote:
It's probably best to do with a spray apparatus. The pigment
from the pickling stain likes to "settle" (don't know if there's a
specific word for that behavior in this context) at the edge of brush
strokes, so it gets extra fussy.

I don't know what brand of stains you're using, but that might be an
issue. Some of the better quality stains (H. Behlen, Mohawk, etc...)
dry very quickly and are easier to apply evenly. With those, you wipe
on some stain over the dried Seal Coat with a rag, and use a dry china
bristle paint brush to quickly even it out by brushing with the grain
until it dries. If you screw up, you simply wipe it off with mineral
spirits, which won't affect the shellac, and try again.

I really appreciate your help Barry.

I'm glad you found the information useful, that always makes it worth
typing.